Butterfly Effect
by Izanagi-Yes-Okami
Summary: Aigis's biggest regret was never mending Minato's broken heart before he died. Philemon gives her the chance to do just that. Sent back in time, Aigis tries to fix Minato's life and guide it in the right direction, but she must be ever-mindful of the Butterfly Effect.
1. Reverse the Destiny

The Sea of Souls... floating in there had a warm sensation to it. The last thing that I could remember clearly was becoming the Great Seal and sealing away Shadow Minato behind it. But... that was what felt like ages ago. Just how long have I been floating through here? Days, months, years? I wondered what Minato was up to. I wondered how he was holding up.

Sometimes, if I concentrate hard enough, I hear his voice.

I looked around even more, often seeing people that I had met in my life that have also fallen. We can't talk to each other, but we can still communicate.

"Aigis." I heard a voice call out to me. It was odd to hear someone's voice call out to me. I haven't heard a voice in so long... I looked toward where I heard the voice. Philemon was standing before me.

"It's alright. You can speak." He said. Light began to shine around the two of us, shaping a structure to stand on. A tower with pillars on four opposite sides came up from the ground.

"What... are you here for?" I asked. What could Philemon of all people possibly want with a dead girl?

"I can feel it within you. You wanted to reverse the torment that Minato had suffered through his entire life. You wanted to have a fresh start, to make everything right for him again." Philemon said.

"Is this what you called me here for?" I continued to ask questions. It was all you could do with this guy. He's way too cryptic.

"Yes. I suppose you could say that." Philemon said. "I had given Minato a second chance, and now I'm going to give you one, too. I can send you anywhere in time that you want to go, filled with life. You would be alive again, living in any time that you wanted to live in."

"Is that supposed to mean that I can go back into the past and fix his life for him?" I asked. There was really nothing more that I wanted to do than that. I had always wanted to fix Minato's life. He had a horrible one. If only I was stronger at that time... then I would still be with him. His parents would still be alive.

"Yes. Choose what time you want to be planted in, I will put you there." Philemon said.

"Then..." I thought long and hard about where I wanted to go. The most reasonable time came to my head immediately.

"I want to go back to when I was first activated." I said.

"You are aware that you will keep all of your memories." Philemon said. "Also be aware of the Butterfly Effect."

"Yes." I nodded. I'm going to make things right for him again. I'm going to make sure that Minato is okay.

"Before I send you, remember. If you ever need help, look for the blue butterfly." Philemon said. I nodded. I could feel my entire body be pulled towards the sky. I was leaving for the past. When I was first activated.

* * *

ANTI-SHADOW WEAPON SYSTEM: OMEGA ONLINE.

ALL SYSTEMS: GREEN.

READY FOR DEPLOYMENT.

"Rise and shine, Aigis!" A voice that I had registered in my systems as 'Eiichiro Takeba' greeted me. This was my first test. I could not screw this up. If I did, it could mean certain disaster. Never underestimate the Butterfly Effect.

"Aigis..." I repeated the world multiple times, like it was new to me. I looked all over the place, pretending that it was my first time ever seeing my surroundings. The truth was, that I had seen this place multiple times. I was sealed away in here for ten years. The same boring white walls surrounded me.

"How does it feel?" He asked me. Shit! Act fast, Aigis!

"What is... feel...?" I asked in the most robotic voice possible. I had to revert to that monotone voice that I used to speak in. That voice always annoyed me when I heard it. I guess that's part of the reason that Ikutsuki's re-model of me angered me so much.

"Well, maybe that wasn't such a great question to ask first thing. Are your scanners okay? Nothing malfunctioning?" He asked me.

I quickly did a system scan, wondering if there was anything going on with me myself.

"All systems are green." That monotone voice I used to speak in pisses me off so much. I can only tell how fun this is going to be...

"Great!" Eiichiro smiled. "Well, you have a schedule and a map in your systems, so I guess I can leave you off now!"

He was right. I had known this place back and forth from day one because of this map. On my break times, before I met Minato, I used to explore this lab, getting every little detail that I could find about it in my systems. I was obsessed with my new surroundings. I had wanted to test out my sentience. I was scheduled for 'Break Time.' Break Time was usually outside in the garden, where the other Anti-Shadow Weapons went during their Break Time, or the ones that were retired.

I had found someone interesting and very important sitting in the garden when I reached it.

Shuji Ikutsuki. Take note on this guy. He matters. A lot. He looked like he was talking to someone.

"Please, sir. There is nothing to fear in Aigis. I programmed her to be kind and gentle. Letting your child near her will be beneficial to the eradication of Shadow-kind! You have to trust me on this." I heard his voice say.

"Well... only if you're sure. We'll introduce him. He always has been fascinated with robots." A gentle looking blue haired man was speaking with Ikutsuki along with a brown haired, beautiful woman. Beside the woman... was exactly who I was hoping I wouldn't run into for a while now. Not while the memories of my past life lingered on inside of me.

Before I knew what to do the three were already closing in one me. I had to put up that same robotic front that used to be normal for me before. I could not show emotion no matter what. Not now. At least not until it's time for Ryoji to strike.

"Hello, Aigis-san! Ikutsuki-san has told me about how you need to be near humans for your personality to grow, and most preferably, a human child. So, let me introduce you to my son, Minato Arisato! He's a little bratty at times, but he's a good kid. He loves robots." Minato's father reached out to me and opened his palm, signaling for a handshake. I gazed at the hand uncomfortably.

"Let me show you, Aigis." Ikutsuki took my hand and placed it on Minato's father's. He told me that I needed to raise my hand up and down. I complied, choosing to not tell Ikutsuki that I already knew how to be formal.

"Why don't you two sit on that bench over there and talk?" Mrs. Arisato asked. She looks stunningly like her daughter, Minako. The parents left us alone on the bench together. The child shifted uncomfortably. I remembered it being this way before, too. He used to be scared.

"H-Hi..." He said shyly. If it was my past self, I wouldn't understand what was wrong with him.

However, now? I just wanna pinch those widdle cheeks! He looks so adorable!

"Hello." I respond. He looks up at me with his beady little eyes.

My God, Minato... please stop! You're going to make my Papillon Heart fail with your adorableness!

"I... I think you're pretty cool." He said.

"I do too." I responded. Well, isn't this the most awkward conversation that I've ever had...

But I still wanted to pinch those widdle cheeks.

* * *

I had gone through the entire week doing the one thing that Anti-Shadow Weapons were known for- destroying Shadows. Every night during the Dark Hour I would go outside and destroy the Shadows with Palladion. It felt weird, using her. I haven't used Palladion in what felt like forever, and since that was the Persona I was programmed with, I would have to stick with her. It was an odd feeling though, one had to admit.

I was so glad that I was able to keep all of my moves that I've learned from past experience. You know, minus the katana and all. Every day went by the same. Talk to widdle Mina-chan, get a little training in, and then go outside and bust some Shadows. It was the same. I had only awaited the day that would forever change all of our lives.

I realize now that Philemon warned me about the Butterfly Effect not because of the fact of paradoxes, but because of the one that I would be certain to trigger. The reality that I had to make true was the one where Minato gets separated from his parents, becomes an orphan, and has Death sealed inside him. I would have to seal the thing inside of him once more, regretfully. Walking into my charging chambers, I noticed a few tears drop off my face.

I'm sorry, Minato.

* * *

"Aigis! We've located Death!" Eiichiro said. "Move!"

The coordinates loaded into my map. I was on the move, running towards the Moonlight Bridge. I knew that's where Death had to be. Eiichiro had sent me out to find and destroy Death, but we all knew that that was impossible. I couldn't defeat Death because I had to seal him inside of Minato. So I held back when I reached the Moonlight Bridge. I waited for the ruiner of Minato's life to come.

I bit my lip in anticipation for what was going to come. I would have to wait until it killed his parents, and then I would have to seal it within him.

Death slowly arrived.

"Ryoji..." I muttered. To think our reunion would be spent like this...

I looked on in horror as I watched him, let him massacre Minato's parents. I watched as he stabbed through Minato's father with his katana, watched as he pulled his heart out and crushed it in his hand. I watched as it turned to his mother, slowly. I watched as Minato screamed for help, screamed for someone to do something and help the two out. I watched as his mother's head was ripped off. Ryoji stopped his rampage and slowly turned toward Minato. He was next. That was my time to act, now. I rushed forwards, shooting at Death feebly. I knew that nothing I did would affect him. Even with the powers of the Universe at my disposal.

"I'm sorry about this, Minato..." I said. Unleashing some power from within, I shot a ray of white at Death. It turned around to look at me. I could feel that we locked eyes as he started to become a small orb, that went inside of Minato. Just like last time.

"Minato!" I called out for him. I sat down beside him.

"That monster... It hurt mommy and daddy... it hurt them bad..." He sniffled.

"There, there..." I said, patting his back. "It's alright. Everything's going to be okay." Everything will be okay if I don't make the promise that I couldn't keep here.

"Aigis!" Eiichiro and Ikutsuki ran towards me. "We saw everything! You defeated Death!"

"What will happen to Minato?" I asked.

"We'll... put the boy in an orphanage. We can't take care of children in the lab, I'm sorry Aigis. I know he was your friend." Eiichiro said.

This is weird. It didn't happen this way! They had to pry the boy from my hands before I let him go! Eiichiro deactivated me because I was being so hostile! Now... now he's being nice? What did I do to make that happen? Was it something that I did?

"Let's get back to the lab, Aigis." Ikutsuki said. "It's time for your scheduled maintenance."

I took one last look at the boy that I would see again in ten years time. I couldn't help myself as I took a quick picture of him. Something to look at, to remind me of him.

Minato...

I can't help but feel sorry for him. To be orphaned at such a young age...

And I couldn't do anything about it.

The two had taken me back to the lab, and ordered me to go charge up and rest after 'such a difficult battle'. I can do without the overbearing kindness, but it's so much better than being treated like absolute garbage. Being treated like you don't have feelings, that you're just a weapon and nothing more to them.

I never want to feel that way again...

I close my eyes and let my mind rest as I began recharging.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I was in the same place as I was when Philemon sent me back into the past to re-live my life. The Sea of Souls.

"Welcome, Aigis!" Philemon stood before me, wearing the same black suit with the odd mask that he always wore. I couldn't help but wonder what was underneath that mask.

"Why... am I back here?" I asked.

"Do not worry. You are still alive in the past. I would like you to think of this place as the Velvet Room, even though it's not really the Velvet Room. Here you can fuse Personas, check your Social Link status, and whatnot. The same thing as the Velvet Room, basically." Philemon said.

"Okay, got it. Is that all you called me here for?" I asked.

"No, no! I also want to tell you how to get here!" Philemon laughed as he said that. "Do you remember when I told you to look out for the blue butterfly? That's the gateway into here and to my realm. You can come here any time that you wish, just like you did for the Velvet Room. Now that is all that I wanted to tell you. I figured that this would help you out in your journey."

"Thank you, Philemon-san!" I bowed. Thank God there was a place for me to fuse Personas and whatnot. I would have gone crazy.

"The Compendium is right there." He pointed towards a book on a stand. "Now then... you have to be getting back to your journey. You're doing well so far!"

"Alright. I guess I'll be seeing you again!" I smile.

"Yes, surely." Philemon responded.

* * *

After my run-in with Ryoji, ten years had passed by- no, more like flied by without any troubles except for the fact of the fated lab explosion.

I couldn't believe I found myself thinking this, but I had really wanted to save Eiichiro from the explosion. He had been so much nicer to me this time around, I had started to think he was a pretty cool guy. He didn't test me as harshly as he used to, and he surely treated me right this time. I... I couldn't save him.

But it wasn't time to dwell on the past. I was headed for Iwatodai. That's where the adventure began. I wondered how different the timeline will be if I do what I'm planning to do. Just how drastic would be the change?

I was actually a bit curious. There was no stopping me from doing this.

The train pulled up and the door opened. I stepped inside of the train and sat down. The train moved again when I got adjusted.

It was heading for Iwatodai, to the brand new beginning that I would make out for myself.


	2. New Days

God, now I knew why Minato listened to music all the time.

Hearing it 24/7 is one of those feelings on par with hotsprings. Before this boringly long train ride to Iwatodai, I had installed an MP3 player in myself and connected it to my headband so that they would function like headphones when I used the MP3. I guess Ikutsuki and Eiichiro made me customizable like this for a reason. I was the 'Magnum Opus of the Kirijo Group', after all. I sat back in my seat as the comforting music lulled me to sleep.

I had quickly awoken when the train came to a stop. Looking around frantically trying to get my surroundings, I stopped to notice a lone boy walk onto the train. He walked towards me.

It was him.

I gulped and shifted over, giving him room to sit next to me. I wanted him to sit next to me.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked in a bored tone. I nodded my head.

"Yes." I said. "I mean no! I mean you can sit down!" Why the Hell was I getting so nervous? I let out a quick smile. He rose his brow, questioning my sudden outburst, and sat down next to me.

"So... where are you going?" He asked.

"I'm going to Iwatodai..." I reply.

"Cool." He sits back and turns his MP3 on, blasting Burn My Dread. Typical Minato... I could feel his eyes prying at me. I turned my head to look at his, but I was only met with blue hair. He was looking at my body.

"Excuse me..." I rose my voice. "Is there something the matter, kid?" I had to talk to Minato like I haven't seen him at all, or else who knows what will happen...

"Are you... just coming out of a convention or something?" He asked. "What kind of outfit is that?"

I have never wanted to hit him more in my life. I look cool, not weird!

"...You really can't notice?" I asked. I quickly covered my mouth after realizing what I just said. Shit! I shouldn't have said that!

"Nah. You look like you're straight from those conventions I used to go to when I was a little kid. You some kind of otaku or something?" Minato asked, still gazing at my body.

"Although I must say that you did this costume really well." Minato complimented. At least he can say one nice thing. I didn't know he was this much of an inconsiderate asshole when he first arrived at Iwatodai. Just what happened at the orphanage to make that sweet little boy such a nasty person?

"Thanks." I say.

"What's that suitcase you got with you? Are you moving into somewhere?" Minato asked.

"No, no, I'm just taking the things that I need to bring with me. I'm actually moving into a dorm to go to school."

"Funny... I'm doing the exact same thing. What is it that you've brought with you? Normally the dorm has these things prepared for you." Minato asked.

"Isn't that a little private? Eh, what the hell, I'll tell you. Maintenance supplies." I said.

"For what, exactly?" Minato asked, leaning back in his seat.

"For the costume. That's how I keep it in pristine condition. No malfunctions or AI failures."

"...What...?" Did I really just say that? Way to keep natural, Aigis!

"You know, it's near midnight, I'm tired. I say weird things when I'm tired." I tried to weasel my way out of the topic.

"Whatever... you're way too strange." Minato said. I could hear Burn My Dread start blasting once more.

I decided to blast my music to combat his.

* * *

The most boring train ride in the world had finally come to an end. As the attendant told us to get off, I noticed that the sky had changed colors. A sickly green glow overcame the town. Coffins lined the blood covered streets. It was the Dark Hour. The MP3 function in my body stopped working. I guess that was still affected by the Dark Hour. I had always wondered how I managed to stay functional during the Dark Hour.

I suppose it has to do something with the Plume of Dusk inside of me that makes up my brain.

"Oh, lovely." I thought aloud. Minato stayed quiet throughout the entire walk towards the dorm. Luckily there were no Shadows that seemed to cross by, and no Takaya and his group of cronies. I opened the door silently, hoping to not wake anyone up. Minato had quickly become entranced by something on the floor. He was staring at the floor like it had two heads, if that was even a possible thing. I looked around, to see if there were any Shadows in the building. Thankfully, there weren't any in sight. That was a good thing. No Shadows followed us.

"Stay right there! Stay right there or... or I'll shoot!" I heard a voice yell. In my instinctive habit I dashed towards the owner of the voice. Spotting a gun, I knocked it clean out of the attackers voice and pressed my fingers to his head. I got a good look at who was threatening us.

Oh my God it was Yukari. Just then, the Dark Hour faded, and Minato's MP3 player came back on, blasting Burn My Dread. The song reverberated as we stood there in silence. I removed my hands from her.

"I'm sorry!" I bowed. "I really am! I was just an instinctive habit!"

"No, no! It's fine, it's fine! I'm sorry I pointed a gun at you..." Yukari put the gun away. "Mitsuru-san! They're here!" A red haired woman, Mitsuru, walked down the stairs. She offered a handshake to me and Minato. I accepted, shaking her hand up and down. Minato sneered and put his hands in his pockets, obviously putting Mitsuru off.

"Is it really alright for them to stay here?" Yukari asked.

"I'm sure that we can work things out. For now we have to give the two rooms. I will show Mr. Arisato to his room. You show her to her room." Mitsuru ordered, walking up the stairs after calling for Minato. I was left alone with Yukari.

"Your room is on the third floor. Follow me." Yukari said.

We walked up the stairs and to the third floor of the dorm. I was all the way in the back of the hallway.

"Well, here's your room. Do you have any questions?" Yukari asked.

"Do you?" I asked, putting my suitcase down. The halls shook a little at the weight of it.

"Actually... I kinda do..." Yukari looked at my body. "Are you... a robot?"

"Nice to know that someone can look at people and figure out what they are. Minato thought I was some sort of otaku." I smiled.

"Do you know him?" Yukari asked.

"Not at all." I lied. It disturbed me how quick I was to lie to her. I guess lying would be something I had to get used to. It still sickened me, though. If there's anything I hate more than anything else, it's liars.

"So... what's it like being a robot?" Yukari asked.

"...Entertaining." I responded. "I'm sorry to cut the conversation short, Yukari-san, but I want to get my stuff organized and ready. I'm really tired."

"Sure thing, Aigis-san! Remember, tomorrow starts school, so you'd better be ready!" Yukari warned.

"Don't worry, I will." I said with a smile on my face. I walked into my room. It was time to get unpacking.

This was going to take a while.

* * *

Honestly, it didn't take that long to get myself unpacked and ready for bed. I set up my charging station one of the four corners. On the wall opposite of the door, all of my ammo was stocked. Shells and rounds alike were in neatly packed boxes. It was enough supplies that could last for about a year, if I could estimate.

Well, more like one year, ten months, five days, two hours, one minute, and nine seconds. It would last that long. On the desk were all of my cleaning supplies and a laptop. Why did I have a laptop? Reasons, that's why.

Throughout my journey in my last life I had changed a lot from what I had originally thought I would be like. I had wound up a pizza eating maniac, similar to my hero. One day, I hoped that I would be able to defeat Shadows the same way he defeats demons...

Thankfully, Philemon let me keep the data that let me switch between 'Combat' and 'Human' bodies intact. I could still switch whenever I liked, so I would fit in at school better. He must have been thinking I would do exactly this.

He's clever, I have to give that to him. I hopped into my charging station and activated Sleep Mode, thinking about what tomorrow would be like.

* * *

"Aigis!" Yukari's voice knocked me out of my stasis.

"What!?" I asked, getting out of my charging station.

"It's almost time for school! You have to get ready!" Yukari warned. I checked my internal clock. She was right. School started in about thirty minutes. I remember the train ride to there took around twenty.

"I'll be right there in a minute!" I quickly switched to the Human body and started to get dressed in the Gekkoukan uniform. I hadn't worn this in a while... After getting dressed, I ran outside as quick as I could.

"Hey Aigis!" Yukari waved to me. "You look good in our uniform!"

"Thanks, Yukari." I said. "We should be heading to school, right?"

"Yeah, but we still have to wait for his royal highness Minato Arisato to get out of bed." Yukari huffed, rolling her eyes.

"I'm right here." Minato announced his presence, scaring Yukari.

"Why don't you make any noise when you walk!?" Yukari asked.

"Why should I cater myself to what you want?" Minato questioned, raising his brow. Yukari groaned in frustration.

"Let's just catch the train while we still have time for it." Yukari said, leading us outside.

* * *

It didn't take that long to get to Gekkoukan. The train ride was actually quite boring. Yukari seemed like she was in her own little world, while Minato was being a jerk and wasn't trying to make a conversation with anyone. He was only listening to his headphones. I had gazed out the window and saw the ocean that we cross over to get to the school. It was a beautiful ocean, and I'd be seeing this every day. I could get used to this kind of life.

I missed when it was simple like this...

The train stopped, and everyone went their own way. Yukari took us both to the school. She had gave her 'good morning's to everyone with a smile and a wave while still walking towards the school.

"This is Gekkoukan High, our school! I hope you enjoy the year here. Hey, maybe we might even have the same class!" Yukari smiled, looking at me. It had seemed as though she had instantly taken a liking to me, while she disliked Minato. Believe me, I was starting to think of him as nothing but an asshole as well... But I knew better. He would get better eventually. I promised myself that I would steer his life in the right direction.

The inside of the building was the same as I remembered it from when I went to school here after the summer to 'help my understanding of human emotions'. The white... everything, with those white pillars that held the entire thing up. There was a billboard on the wall.

"That's where you get to see what classroom you're in, Aigis and Minato." Yukari instructed. "You should go see what class you're in!"

"Thanks, Yukari." I thanked her as she went off to talk to some girls that were huddled in a circle. I had remembered that back here Yukari was pretty famous and popular. I wonder what would have happened if anyone found out the things that she was thinking in her head...

But finding out what's going on inside her would have to wait until that time came. I strolled over to the board and scanned for my name. I had quickly located it. I was in Class 2-F. I chuckled to myself a bit, thinking it ironic how I was put into the same class that I was in before this little time traveling escapade I got myself into.

* * *

Just like in my past life, I never liked school. It was one of those things that came off to me as boring and unnecessary. Well, unnecessary to me because I was a robot and I had a freaking supercomputer for a brain. A tall boy with a pink backpack got up and walked over towards my seat. I recognized him in an instant as well. After all, pink backpacks were a trademark of Junpei Iori, self titled Ace Detective.

More like Ace Defective...

"Hey!" He waved at me. I turned my head to look at him.

"You're new here, right? My name is Junpei Iori, nice to meet ya."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Junpei." I smiled at him. The boy next to me grunted in response. I just wanted to rip those headphones right out of Minato's ears and tell him to be considerate for once...

"I saw you guys walking with Yuka-tan into school today! You guys better be careful, she's really popular." Junpei warned.

"Junpei! It's not even the first day and you're already running your mouth?" Yukari asked, walking into the room to come and pick us up. We were planning to go to the dorm together.

"Hey hey hey! I was just bein' nice!" Junpei defended himself.

"Well, don't you ever stop to think that you're bothering people?" Yukari asked again.

"Don't you ever stop to think that you're bothering people?" Junpei asked in a mock girly voice. I was instantly floored, laughing. She sounds just like that! Junpei was always good if you wanted a quick laugh or two. He always knew how to make people laugh.

"See, I'm not bothering her!" Junpei said. "She's laughing her ass off!" He pointed at me.

Yukari put her hands on her hips and shook her head.

"Alright, we're heading home, now." Yukari announced, walking out.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Junpei." I said, getting up and calming down. I led Minato out of the school and to the train that Yukari was waiting at. I felt as if I could say with certainty that today was a good day.

I hope all of my days were like this. But I knew, that was far from reality. There was going to be conflict, there was going to be strife. But I will do my best to protect everyone!


	3. Perosna Invocation

I awoke to a knocking at the door.

"Blond girl, are you in there? It's time to go to school. Yukari's not feeling well today, so it's just you and me." It was Minato.

"I have a name, you know!" I yelled, getting dressed. I opened to door to see him just standing there, without a single emotion on his face. It kind of unnerved me.

"I don't care. I call people what I want to call people." Minato said. Seriously how did he get from this to what he was when I was still alive?

"You're a real jerk, you know that?" I asked.

"I told you before. I don't care. Let's get going." Minato turned around and walked away.

* * *

As usual, the day went by as fast as it started. I talked with Junpei more and more, and Minato stuck to his own thing. Junpei had talked to me about something that he wanted to 'keep a strict secret about'. I could only guess what it was.

As midnight approached, I got ready for bed. I put my things on the floor and prepared my bed. I had finally got around to making one for myself, considering I only really had to re-charge about once every three months. My battery lasted long. It would have to, considering I was a living breathing weapon. So, I took off my clothes and dropped down onto my bed.

It didn't take long for the Dark Hour to hit.

"Huh... something feels weird about tonight..." I thought aloud.

'Today is the day where it all begins.' I heard Palladion's voice say. I got up out of bed and began to walk towards the door to go outside. The entire ground rumbled beneath my feet, sending me off balance and to the floor.

"Woah!" I let out a gasp as my body hit the floor. As I got up, the door slammed open.

"AIGIS! YOU HAVE TO... come... with me..." Yukari trailed off when she saw me.

There were multiple problems with this situation, but the biggest one, the one that stood out the most, was the fact that I don't sleep with clothes on. It was something that I got used to, considering when I slept before I got the human body I didn't have anything to wear to bed, so it was just something I did out of habit.

Maybe I should re-think that decision. A factor that pushed me more towards the thought that I should wear clothes when going to bed was Minato.

"Hey bud, eyes are up here." I pointed to my eyes. I knew where he was looking.

Even when he's a jerk he's still a pervert.

"You know what... just shut the door and let me get some clothes on, I'll be out in a minute." I said. Yukari happily obliged. I put on some clothes first and then changed to my combat body. I could only tell that the Shadows were involved with this. I haven't fought a Shadow in what seemed like forever! I made sure that I was fully loaded and then opened the door again to follow Yukari and Minato.

"Were are we going?" I asked. "And what was that rumbling a bit ago?"

"There's a really big thing outside tonight and it's going to wreck us if we don't leave now! Mitsuru and Akihiko-senpai are handling it as we speak, and Mitsuru ordered us to run to the roof and save ourselves." Yukari explained. "Do you have a weapon?"

"Yukari, I'm a robot." I reminded.

"That's right. You won't need one..." Yukari said. "You are one! No offense..."

"None taken. Let's get out of here!" I said. If it was sometime before I faced my own Shadow, then I would have taken offense to it. I would have taken a lot of offense to it. So much, that I would have punched her.

We ran downstairs to the fire escape first. Yukari knocked on the door. She gasped when she got a knock back. The Shadows had gotten to the bottom floor. We had to move, quickly. I had an idea.

"We should head to the roof! It probably has a ladder that could lead us down and out of here!" I suggested. Yukari nodded, saying that it was a great idea. Once again I found myself running up the stairs. I could feel my body overheating. If I kept moving like this... then I would certainly malfunction. That was something that I could not handle doing. Not if there wasn't anyone with any knowledge of how to fix an Anti-Shadow Weapon around...

Thankfully, we finally reached the roof. Running outside, I quickly began to look for a ladder, or anything that could get us away from the Shadows. I wasn't even sure that anyone had their Personas yet. A gigantic hand reaching up and grabbing the top of the roof startled me. I jumped back and pointed my fingers at the hand. Soon, a gigantic Shadow that was comprised of many, many hands pulled itself up onto the roof.

"Those monsters..." Yukari began. She reached for the gun that was strapped to her thigh. My systems recognized it as an Evoker. An Evoker... it was a gun specifically designed to induce the fear and pressure of committing suicide to bring out your Persona. They weren't real guns. Just bluffs. "We call them Shadows! They're our main enemy..."

Is she describing S.E.E.S to us?

"Please give me the strength to actually do this..." Yukari pleaded with some unknown entity. "P-Persona!" Yukari didn't get the chance to pull the trigger. The giant Shadow smacked her away and to the floor. Her leg had been bent the wrong way. That looked like it hurt. The Evoker flew through the air, landing at Minato's feet.

"Minato!" I yelled. Minato looks at the gun at his feet bewildered. It's like he couldn't believe what was going on before his very eyes. He freezes, eyes dilating as he looks at the Shadow that's approaching him. I want to intervene, I really do, but Minato had told me that this is how he received his Persona Orpheus.

The Shadow reached out to him, but he quickly regained his composure and snatched the gun off the ground. He slowly pulled it up to his head and pressed it against his temple. I could hear his scared, heavy breathing intensity as his finger pulled at the trigger.

"Per... So... Na..." His Persona finally came out to play. The white, robotic-like body of Orpheus slowly floated out from behind of him.

"I am thou... and thou art I!" Orpheus said. "From the sea of thy soul I cometh! I am Orpheus... Master of Strings!"

"Orpheus..." Minato whispered, getting used to the name. The same way that I had to get used to being called "Aigis".

Something was wrong. Orpheus started screaming. He curled up into a fetal position and grabbed his hair with his hands. I looked on in horror as another Persona spread his mouth open disgustingly wide and jumped out of Orpheus. It was Thanatos. Thanatos was the Persona that Minato had gained when he had decided that he was not going to kill Ryoji and that he was going to fight until the end against Nyx and Strega. I was so proud of him when he made that choice, as much as I dislike Ryoji. And I use dislike as a very calm word as opposed to what I would like to say to him.

Thanatos drew his long katana and jumped towards the Shadow, cutting it into pieces. After he was done, the only thing that was left of the Shadow was a detached hand that was writhing around on the floor. Thanatos scooped it up from the ground and opened it's maw. Thanatos then threw the hand in and started to chew on the hand. After his 'meal' was done, Thanatos started to scream very much like how Orpheus did when Thanatos ripped itself out of him. Thanatos reverted back to being Orpheus.

I had seen too much for the day. Yukari and I looked at Minato, scared as to what was going to happen next. He told me that this was one of the most horrific moments in his life, but I would have never imagined it would be like this...

Minato had fallen to the floor. He passed out.

"Minato!" Yukari ran towards him. I followed suit.

* * *

The next day was accompanied by rain. Lazily getting out of bed, I quickly got dressed and headed downstairs to start out my day. Minato was not in the dorm. He had been moved to a hospital so that he could recover safely.

"Good morning, Aigis." Mitsuru smiled at me as I came down the steps.

"Good morning, Mitsuru-san." I replied, also smiling.

"It's a good thing that we have off today..." Mitsuru noted. "I don't think anyone is ready to go to school after what happened last night. I hear there's going to be a thunderstorm today as well... What a wonderful day..."

"Th-Thunderstorm...?" I asked. I hate thunder. I hate lighting. I hate everything that has to do with it. And I did not want to embarrass myself by screaming like a little girl when the lighting struck.

"Are you afraid of them?" Mitsuru asked. "Don't be embarrassed about it..."

"Thanks, Mitsuru-san. I'm just worried that I'm gonna scream when it happens." I respond.

"Well, that's just going to have to be something that we have to get used to." Mitsuru announced.

"Mitsuru, how are you holding up after that Shadow attack yesterday?" A tall man with short, silver hair walked into the house. He was accompanied by a man with long brown hair, glasses, and a brown pea coat. The two's names respectively were Akihiko Sanada and Shuji Ikutsuki.

"Can you be any more disrespectful, Akihiko? I swear..." Mitsuru said. "We have a new guest and all you can think about is me?"

"A new guest...?" Akihiko turned to look at me. "Oh! A new guest! Hey there! I'm Akihiko Sanada."

"I'm Aigis." I respond.

"Aigis..." Ikutsuki said. "I guess we were meant to cross paths again one way or another..."

"Do you know her?" Mitsuru asked.

"Well, she is what I could consider my daughter." Ikutsuki said.

"Oh... well then, should we tell her about SEES?" Akihiko asked.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru rose her voice. "We were meaning to keep that a secret for when Minato recovers!"

"That's right! The boy that I had been speaking with yesterday." Ikutsuki said, remembering him.

Looking at Ikutsuki, I realized... there was no way that I could prevent it from happening. If I spoke up, then who knows what could happen to the future? I would have to keep quiet about the fact that the Arcana Shadows would release the seal on Nyx. I would have to knowingly kill every last one of them with that information in my systems.

There had to be another way.

I started to frantically think for a way to take care of the Fall once and for good. To prevent it from happening.

Ryoji. It was simple. I knew what I had to do. I had to wait until the time came... the right opportunity... I would kill Ryoji. That meant that he would no longer be able to be the Appraiser. I would effectively prevent the Fall from happening while keeping Minato alive! Or was Minato destined to die on that fateful day?

It was something that I could not take a chance on. There had to be a way to keep that boy from death. I didn't want to see him die in my hands again... it was bad enough that I died in his.

"Alright, then we'll save SEES for later, when Minato comes back from the hospital." Akihiko said. "Right now... I guess we can just sit down, relax, and get to know eachother." Akihiko sat down next to me on the couch.

"Aigis... what have you been doing all these years?" Ikutsuki asked. "How long has it been since I've seen you?"

"Ten." I say. "Ten years."

Ikutsuki had broken all ties with the lab after the incident with Ryoji. After I had sealed Ryoji inside of Minato, Ikutsuki just picked everything up and left. He even took a few blueprints with him. He had been, as I had heard from Eiichiro before he died in the lab explosion, that he only talked to Mitsuru's father, the head Kirijo right now. Ten long years I had been without him.

But those were a good ten years, I had to admit. I didn't like him at all. And my hate for him would only be fueled by the fact that I would have to stand back and watch as Minato died.

I didn't want Minato to die. I would prevent that from happening. I would kill Ryoji and save Minato.

'There's one slight problem with that...' I heard my own Thanatos say. 'If you do manage to kill Ryoji, then what will happen to the world? The Fall will still happen either way. There has to be some way to prevent the Fall. The best thing that you can do now... and I know that you're not going to like this... is tail Ikutsuki to his house... and kill him.'

The realization of what Thanatos said made me drop my head into my hands. I would be a murderer... but also a savior. But what good will being a savoir do if there's blood on my hands? I don't want to end up like Namatame.

I made up my mind. Instead of preventing it, I would make Minato's life the best that it could be before he died. Besides, there was always the fact that Elizabeth would sacrifice herself to save Minato. That was how it was before. Philemon gave him a second chance. Maybe he can do it again.

I decided to go to sleep.

* * *

Philemon stood still at his tower of light. He had called me into the Sea again.

"Aigis." He said.

"What do you need?" I asked him. He walked towards me.

"You seem to be going through some turmoil right now. Let me give you some advice. The Fall does not matter in your life. All will be taken care of by Elizabeth and I. She has already volunteered to make the Great Seal instead of Minato. She will accompany you to the final battle with Nyx, and make the Seal."

"Then what do I have to worry about!?" I ask.

"That is a simple question. You must worry about the one thing that brought you to your demise. I can say no more. You must figure that out for yourself." Philemon said. "Now. I have called you here to discuss a new power that I will grant to you. As your story continues, the battles will undoubtedly get tougher and tougher. As the enemies ahead grow stronger, you yourself must grow equally as strong. Therefore I grant to you Skill Cards, containing powerful skills that you can bestow unto your Personas." Philemon took many cards from a pocket and handed them to me.

"Farewell, Aigis. Be careful on your journey. These next times you will be coming here of your own will." Philemon said.

* * *

I had gone to the hospital to visit Minato again. I had been doing it every day since he passed out while fighting the Arcana Magician. Philemon telling me not to worry about what happens was something that I really needed. I think I figured out what he meant when he said to worry about my demise.

Minato had begun to stir awake.

"Morning, sleepy." I smiled at him as he awoke.

"Aigis." He finally said my name. "Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to greet you when you finally woke up." I responded.

"After I was being such a jerk to you...? Why?" Minato asked.

"Because..." I began. "I... I like you."

"You like me." He repeated.

"Yeah." I said.

"But, as I iterate again, I was treating you like dirt. Why would you like someone who does that?" Minato asked me.

"Because... I know that you're going through a lot right now. I know what you're going through." I said.

Minato stayed silent.

"They want to talk to you about some group when we get home." I said. "I guess we should go there and find out what they want to say."

"Right." Minato said, getting out of bed and following me out of the hospital.

'Hey, now would you look at that!' Athena, one of my other Personas, remarks. 'You got yourself a Social Link of the Aeon Arcana!'

Now what the HELL is that? It would be another thing I would have to ask Philemon. Right now, I was concerned with getting to the meeting that the others were having for me and Minato. It seemed like there was something important going on.


	4. Mysterious Feeling

Tartarus. The tower that glows in the night sky during the Dark Hour. It was where we scaled to face Nyx head on on that fateful day when Minato died. I could only tell that that and SEES itself were going to be the subject matter of the talk that we were going to have tonight. I knocked on the door to the 4th floor meeting room. The one with all the electronics and stuff. A paradise for techie's like me.

"Come in and sit down." Akihiko welcomed us in with a smile.

"We're here to talk about what happened during that night the Shadow attacked." Mitsuru explained. "That monster that you saw was a Shadow. Shadows are beings that are only present during the Dark Hour. What is the Dark Hour, you ask? The Dark Hour is the time after midnight and before one minute passed. In layman's terms, the time between 12:00 and 12:01. The Shadows come out then. Anyone who doesn't have the potential to summon a Persona becomes transmogrified into a coffin. Those who are out of the coffins, the Shadows attack. Lately there has been an outbreak of an illness that we believe is connected to the Dark Hour. It's called 'Apathy Syndrome'. My guess is that it has to do with the Shadows attacking humans during the Dark Hour and sucking away all of their energy from within them."

"That's where we, SEES, come in. We're listed as an extracurricular activity for after school, but in reality, our main goal is to destroy the Shadows and put an ultimate end to the Dark Hour, and Apathy Syndrome with it." Akihiko said.

"You, Minato-san, if you don't mind me asking, have an amazing power to control more than one Persona!" Ikutsuki complimented. "You will be an amazing asset to our team! And you, Aigis... I know just how helpful you can be to our cause. Please... join us in our battle!"

"That's... a lot to take in. The Dark Hour... Shadows? Just what the hell are you talking about!?" Minato yelled.

"I understand that this is confusing. Everyone was confused the first time they heard it. But please... you have an amazing power! Please lend it to us in our battle against the Shadows!" Ikutsuki pleaded.

"Alright... fine." Minato sighed. "I'll do it. Just tell me where to start." Akihiko got up and walked over to pick up two briefcases. He handed one to Minato and placed the other on the table, near me. It was his offer for me to join. I took the briefcase and opened it. There was an armband that said 'SEES' on it and an evoker with my name embroidered on it. Minato opened his to find the same thing inside. An evoker and an armband.

"I guess that I'm in, too." I said.

"Alright! Well then, meeting's over! We should all go to bed. After all, it is getting a little bit late!" Ikutsuki said, smiling. I really hated that man's smile. I could tell what he was planning...

* * *

After school, I had decided to explore Iwatodai to get a grasp on my surroundings. I had finally learned the layout of the entire city by heart and I was ready to explore the place before going back. I wanted to find out if there was a blue butterfly floating around so that I could do some things at Philemon's place. I had found myself at the mall. There was an odd blue light emanating from underneath of Mandragora, the Karaoke place. I decided to investigate.

When I walked underneath the Karaoke place, I noticed exactly what I was looking for was flying around. A blue butterfly. Philemon didn't give directions on how to transport myself from this realm to his, so I just assumed that touching the butterfly would bring me there. I reached out for it and it landed on my hand. I looked at it for a little bit before I could feel my consciousness slip from Paulownia Mall to the Sea of Souls.

Philemon's place really doesn't change much, but the fact that it's always the coolest place that I've ever gone to helps.

"Welcome to the Sea of Souls, Aigis." Philemon bowed. "How may I help you today?"

"I'd just like to get some Persona fusing done and take a quick look at the Compendium." I explain.

"Then go right ahead." Philemon brings me the book and the fusion tables, and I immediately get to work.

* * *

I'm loving the Personas that I had gotten myself. I, being able to hold 12 at one time due to me being the Wild Card, filled it with the most powerful ones that I could imagine, and you bet I taught them some of those new skills Philemon handed me. I walked into the dorm expecting everything to be normal.

"Woah! You're here too, Ai-tan!?" Junpei's voice called out. It seems as though Junpei had moved into the dorm. Why didn't anyone tell me about this? "You ready to hit the dungeon tonight!? I'm in it to win it, baby!"

"What are you talking about, Junpei-kun?" I asked.

"We're going into Tartarus." Akihiko said. "We have more than enough people to go in there now."

"Just wait until nighttime, Aigis!" Junpei said. "We're gonna bust some heads and take some names!"

"Just get ready for the Dark Hour tonight, Aigis..." Akihiko groaned. I sat down next to Junpei on the couch.

"So, how'd you awaken to your Persona?" I asked.

"Well, Akihiko-senpai found me cryin' like a little baby on the streets during the Dark Hour. I bet it was like that your first time, too." Junpei said.

"No." I responded.

"Then how did you?" Junpei asked.

"I was put into so many near death situations that you would not believe that I was still alive." I said. "Finally, one day, I snapped, and awoken to my Persona."

"Oh... that's deep..." Junpei said. "But let's not worry about that kind of stuff! Let's talk some!"

I agreed, wanting to get off the topic.

Soon it was time for the Dark Hour to come. Akihiko had led the team out to the school.

"Why the hell are we outside of our school?" Minato asked.

"You'll see. In 5...4...3...2...1." Akihiko counted down. The Dark Hour hit, and with it the school became a distorted looking tower with many protrusions jutting out of it and at the top was a bell. That bell rang five minutes before the Dark Hour ended. I had counted one day because I was curious.

"What the hell happened to our school!?" Junpei yelled.

"This... is Tartarus." Mitsuru explained. "It appears every Dark Hour. Every day. Don't worry, it reverts back to the normal school after the Dark Hour is finished."

"Phew... that's good." Junpei said. "Now then, let's get inside and kick some ass!"

"First we need to appoint a leader. That's going to be you, Aigis." Akihiko said. "Being a weapon designed to fight these, you have the better experience."

"Alright. I guess I'm leading." I said.

"Why does she have to be the leader! She's a girl!" Junpei whined.

"Do you know how to fight Shadows?" Akihiko asked. "And there's nothing wrong with her being a girl."

"...Fine..." Junpei groaned.

* * *

Inside of Tartarus... it was a weird feeling. It had always been a weird feeling. The same old thing were still there. The teleporter, the clock, the giant door that led into the dungeon-like tower itself, and that blue door, too!

Wait, blue door!? I did a double take as I watched Minato look at the same door.

"Do you see that too?" He asked.

"Yeah..." I said.

"Wanna go in?" Minato asked. I nodded in response and walked over towards the door along with Minato. If memory served, and I know it does, this was the door to the Velvet Room. Would I even be allowed in there? Well, I guess Igor would still welcome me. I pushed the door open and walked in.

Ol' Big Nose and Elizabeth sat there on an elevator-like area.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." Igor welcomed us.

"Hey, it's you guys again!" Minato said. "What are you doing this time!? Why do I always come here!?"

"Hold still, young man. Your questions will be answered later. Right now I must speak to you about Social Links. This can go to you two, Aigis, unless the Master has already informed you about them." Igor said. "Social Links are your bond with the people around you. They are what fuel your power! You must use them to make your power grow. Right now, Minato, your power is very weak. But if you tighten your bonds with others, you may just be able to be the strongest that there ever was!"

"What about me?" I asked. "I haven't had a Social Link thingy at all!"

"Yes, but you see, Aigis, you have the power of the Universe at your disposal. Social Linking will only add to that power." Igor explained. "Now then, Minato, I'm sure that you have already started a Social Link or two without even realizing it! Talk to my attendant here, Elizabeth, the find out what kind of progress you have made throughout your Social Links. She is also in charge of the Persona Compendium. That is where you can keep all of your Personas that you have fused with my help. However, we must ask that you pay a slight fee for our services. No harm intended. I'm sure that you can find the money to pay for it by defeating Shadows. There are times when the future may be hard to grasp, but never lose sight of it and keep pushing forward. That is all the advice that I have for you, my friends." Igor sent us out of the Velvet Room. "Until next time..."

"Dude. You okay? You looked like you passed out." Junpei came up to us.

"Yeah, we're fine. Let's just go and fight some Shadows, right?" I asked. Junpei nodded in agreement, eager to fight some Shadows and prove his worth as the leader of the group. I don't know why he acted so mean to me when Akihiko made me the leader. His reasoning was flawless. But Junpei must have wanted to be the leader and he must be jealous of me. I hope that that jealousy doesn't last forever. It could tear the team apart. Maybe I could speak to him after we're done here...

"Alright, I will guide you through Tartarus." Mitsuru said. "My Persona has a special analyzing ability. I can aide you throughout your dungeon exploring. Keep in mind that the more you progress in Tartarus the stronger the Shadows become. You can come back at any time when you find one of those green pads on the floor. They take you back to here, at the entrance."

"Right, Mitsuru." I nodded. "Alright, team, let's get in there!" I motioned for everyone to follow me, even Mitsuru.

"Aigis... I'd like for you to only pick four to go with you at a time. There has to be some sort of protection from the Shadows for the people down here, right? I will stay behind."

"Yeah, and I'll stay behind too to help Mitsuru out in case a Shadow makes it into here." Akihiko said. "You guys go. We'll be fine."

"Well, alright..." I said, walking into the doorway.

Tartarus's first block looked like a mural of a city was painted on the walls. The floor was a black and white checkerboard, with the occasional repeating staircase or two, and there was blood plastered all over the floor. I heard Yukari gag behind me while Junpei gazed in amazement.

"How could something like this come from some place as boring as our school? You got any ideas?" Junpei asked.

"No." Minato replied. He had a sword in his hands while Junpei was holding a greatsword. Yukari held a bow and arrow as her weapon. They had their armbands and evokers on them. I only had the armband on me because there was no need for an evoker. I could summon my Persona without it. I just didn't know how. Maybe it was some of that power that Philemon granted me, or maybe it was because I was the Universe after my bout with Shadow Minato. I never want to relive that battle ever again, so I had to work fast on making Minato able to accept the Shadow before it came time for it to strike.

"I see one!" I announced, pointing to a Shadow that was lurking the floor. It was just a little Maya, nothing to worry about. But for the other three, it could mean trouble if they didn't go into this fight prepared for what a Shadow may do. I thought that it was time to show off and test my new skills.

"Thanatos!" I called out. It was time to test some attacks out. "Dark Verdict!" The Persona that was the embodiment of Death appeared and rose it's blade. A giant pentagram appeared out of nowhere underneath the Maya. A black light shone from underneath him. When the light faded, the Maya was gone.

"Aigis! Your Persona is that thing that appeared out of Orpheus!?" Minato asked. I ignored his question, seeing another Shadow coming around the corner. It was a Book.

"Don't you guys want to get in on some of the action?" I asked cockily, sending Palladion out. All of these skills that Philemon gave me are really helpful! He really knows how to make you pretty powerful... A Thunder Inferno whipped around, surrounding the Book and singeing it to death.

"Well then..." Junpei said, spotting a Hand walking around. "Agi!" Junpei shot himself with the evoker and summoned Hermes. The space around the Hand condensed and then exploded, instantly killing it. It went on like this until Mitsuru had told us that it was time to go home. The Dark Hour was about to end.

I could say that we had some good training time in. I got used to my new skills on my Personas, Junpei and the others got used to fighting, and they were all impressed with the amount of Personas that I could summon. I have to say that becoming the Universe really does make you powerful. Now I know how Minato feels when he battles the Shadows. It was about time to call it a day, anyway. I could tell that everyone was getting tired.

* * *

As I walked downstairs I noticed that Junpei was playing some video games on the TV. You know, the TV that was meant for watching the news instead of playing video games? But what kept me from reprimanding him was the voice of the character on the TV.

"Crazy!" I heard him yell in all his glory. I instantly ran to Junpei's side and sat down next to him. My assumptions were right.

He was playing the Almighty Game of the Pizza God and Savoir of Cuhrayzee, Uncle Dante. I felt compelled to give him a hug. A big hug.

"You just earned like nine million points on my happiness scale for you, Junpei!" I smiled wide.

"Aigis! You're crushing me!" Junpei whined.

"Oh! Sorry!" I quickly let go of him.

"I didn't think you were the type of person to play these kinds of games!" Junpei remarked, continuing on.

"You'd be surprised. What's the highest you've gotten?" I asked.

"If you're talking about that combo bar, then B Rank." Junpei said.

"IT'S NOT A COMBO BAR IT'S THE STYLISH BAR!" I snapped. "Sorry, this is the only game I get passionate about."

"I can tell..." Junpei noted. He growled in frustration as he shoved the controller in my hands. "Do you want to try? This guy keeps killing me..."

"Oh, him? He's dead meat if you know what to do. Or hand the controller to an expert and a robot." I say.

"I'm about to see something crazy, aren't I?" Junpei asked.

"Not just crazy, Junpei. Cuhrayzee. Say it with me." I said.

"Cuh. Ray. Zee." I enunciate the words slowly for him.

"Crazy." Junpei responds.

"You're saying it wrong." I said. "Again."

"Uh... Cuhrayzee?" Junpei finally got it right. I gave him a high five, and continued to kick the ass of Beowulf for him.

* * *

I had sat next to Minato on the train ride back to the dorm after school. He wasn't listening to his music. He had taken a bigger liking to me, instead. While it was flattering, it was a little bit creepy. Just what was he looking at? I covered my chest just to be safe.

"Is there something that you like?" I asked.

"..." Minato stays silent, like he's embarrassed to say what he wants to say. "You..."

"W-What?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I think I might like you. That's what I'm saying." Minato says. "I don't know what it is about you but you just seem to tickle my fancy."

An interesting thought crossed by my head. Were we meant to be together? He had broken up with Yukari before, and now he was instantly warming up to me as we talked more. I wondered what was going on. I didn't hesitate to talk with him more.

"I guess you could say that I like you too." I respond with a smile. It was something that I was known for. I was always smiling, no matter how tough the situation is. You could count on me to smile!

"Well... that's good... I guess." Minato shifts a little closer to me.

"So... do you wanna do something together when we get home?" I asked.

"Like...?" Minato rose his brow.

I blushed wildly. Never before have I let someone do this to me. It wasn't the fact that I didn't trust them, it was the fact that it was very embarrassing to have someone looking at your body intently.

"Maintenance." I manage to say. I said it real low so that no one could hear me.

"What did you say? I didn't catch that." Minato said, moving his head more towards me so that he could get what I said a lot clearer than it had came out.

"I said... maintenance. You know, you could preform maintenance on my body when I have to. Think of it as a bonding exercise." I said.

"Wait... if you're a robot then how come you've got yourself a body that looks and feels completely human?" Minato asked. I was wondering when someone would ask me that.

"Well, it's more or less a kind of disguise. I was given this 'Human Form' as I call it to fit in more at school and outside. It's also supposed to help me with personality building. It's got all the features of a normal human girl's body." I said.

"All of them? Even th-" I covered Minato's face with my hands.

"Yeah. You don't need to finish that sentence." I said.

"You in the mood for Tartarus tonight? I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen soon and I think that we all need to be in shape to handle what's going to come." Minato asked.

"Did a small boy in a prison suit tell you this?" I asked.

"Yes." Minato nodded. "How did you know?"

"Don't trust that boy." I warn. "He's nothing but trouble."

Believe me, Ryoji. I would either prevent you from being released or I would kill you as soon as I see you. It was all a matter of time. And time was something that I did not have. I would have to make the best of what little time I had to prepare myself for the end of the line. The original end to my story.

A full moon was coming. And with it, an Arcana Shadow would be there. Minato was right. We would all need to get ready for them.


	5. Deep Breath Deep Breath

"Uh... where the Hell do I even begin at?" Minato asked. Minato had taken up on my offer to help me out with my maintenance since he was so fascinated with robots. I couldn't help but let him. After all, I had yearned for his hands to be on me once again.

"Just... check if I need an oil change or something." I say. The two of us were blushing wildly with embarrassment. I couldn't see us not, considering what he was doing. A robot's servos were her own private things. You just couldn't let any ordinary man get all touchy feely with them. Think of it as the equivalent to seeing a human woman naked.

"Uh..." Minato continued on. "This is really weird. It feels like I'm violating you yet I'm not..."

"Just... just keep on going. My legs are fine, right?" I asked. Minato nodded. I could feel his hands move up my body and to my torso. I should never have offered him to do this for me. I knew how much he likes robots and how they work, but this is just embarrassing for me! And him, too!

Soon Minato had reached the part that I was dreading. He was going to have to check my head and neck area. That was the most sensitive part on my body and I knew that I was going to embarrass myself in front of Minato. Back in my first life, once he found out about my 'weak spot', he had taken advantage of it almost daily. Minato felt all over, checking if there were dents anywhere. As I felt his hand coming up to my neck, I held my breath. I couldn't let him find out about that...

His hand went over it and my eyes widened.

I had let out a short moan, despite my efforts to keep my mouth shut.

"Aigis? Is there something wrong?" Minato stopped. His hand was still on my neck. My _God_ it felt so good...

"N-No... keep going..." I ordered. My God... was I actually getting off on this!?

It's just maintenance, Aigis... there's nothing to fear... nothing to moan about... nothing to make sexual noises about... just keep breathing nice and calm...

"So... you said that if a dent were made in your head and neck it would be really bad, right?" Minato asked.

"Yeah. It would pretty much make me malfunction to the point of not being able to move." I responded, calming down. "Are there dents?"

"No. I'm just wondering. Is there anything else that you need? Or are we done here?" Minato asked.

"Yes!" I respond a little too quickly. He could tell that something was up.

"You don't like it when I touch your neck, do you?" Minato asked.

"That's the most sensitive part of my body..." I responded. I could only tell where this was going to go...

"So then... just don't touch it, right? I'll keep that in mind." Minato said, getting up. "Well, the maintenance is done. Fixed a few problems with your legs and arms. Cleaned out your guns, made sure that you can still function, checked for dents in your armor... everything is green."

"I'm surprised..." I said. "You're good. Normally I do this by myself and even I have some trouble sometime."

"Well, I had been studying on robots. I had wanted to make a robot similar to one that I had met when I was six years old. I had referred to her as my big sister, considering that I didn't have any family." Minato said. He was talking about me.

"You don't have a sister?" I asked. That was really weird. Oh no... did I somehow manage to erase Minako from existence!? "Not even a twin?"

"Nope. I'm an only child, Aigis." Minato said. "Now that I think about it, you remind me a lot about that same robot..." Minato left the room, closing the door and leaving me alone. I curled up in a ball on the floor, knowing that I had just caused someone to be erased from existence. I don't think I'm going to be able to handle this... What did I get myself into!?

The full moon was in two days. I had to get prepared.

* * *

"Hey Minato..." I heard Junpei ask. Minato, Junpei and I were sitting down on the couch playing some video games. "I heard some weird noises coming from upstairs yesterday. Do you know what was going on?"

"Uh... no. No, I have no idea what you're talking about, Junpei." Minato said, covering both of us. I didn't think I let out that loud of a moan! I wondered if everyone else could have heard it, or was it just Junpei? I swear, if any of the girls or Akihiko-san had found out about that... It would be the end of my second life!

"Yeah. Absolutely nothing happened." I said. "You should stop asking questions, Junpei-kun."

"Now I'm even more worried. You two didn't do what I think you two did, right?" Junpei asked.

"No!" Both me and Minato yelled simultaneously. If Junpei didn't watch was he was saying then I would seriously have to kick his ass. Saving us from any more embarrassment, someone came knocking at the door.

"I'll get it." I announced, walking up towards the door and opening it. The man at the door was an angry looking person. He looked like he would snap at anyone just for saying something. I didn't like the looks of him, but since I knew who he was, there was no real danger involved. I couldn't say his name or act like I knew him, but I could at least greet him properly.

"Good morning! How may I help you?" I asked.

"Where's Aki?" The man asked.

"Shinjiro." Akihiko walked up behind me. "What is it?"

"Are you alright? I heard about that Shadow attack on the dorm." Shinjiro Aragaki. He was a Persona user and a former SEES member. He was always angry at something. The only times when you could see that man smile was when he was cooking food. He also had taken Persona suppressants issued by Takaya, the leader of Strega. Slowly, those were killing him inside. I wondered if I had somehow prevented him from taking those drugs through the Butterfly Effect.

"The question that I should be asking is if _you_ are alright." Akihiko said. "After all, you know the side effects of those pills."

"I stopped." Shinjiro responded. "I stopped taking them, Aki." He looked around the room. "This the new SEES? Don't look like much."

"Well, you haven't seen our star player!" Akihiko gestured towards me. I smiled softly and looked down on the floor. Was he really going to kiss my ass like that in front of him?

"Senpai... come on..." I said.

"No, really! You can summon multiple Personas and you're a killing machine!" Akihiko said.

That man had no tact. Even though I had accepted what I was, it still stung to be called a 'killing machine' or 'war machine' or anything pertaining to that for that matter...

"A robot...?" Shinjiro looked at me. "She looks nothing like one."

"That's because I was designed to be a girl. And to look more human. Technically you could call me an android or a cyborg." I said.

"Here I go thinking that I have seen it all..." Shinjiro said. "Well, that's all I came here for, Aki."

"Will I be seeing you again, Shinji?" Akihiko asked.

"I guess so. You know where to find me." Shinjiro left, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

The sound of the dorm's siren made me jump out of bed, switch to combat mode, and jump all the way up the stairs. I slammed open the door to the 4th floor, breaking it off of it's hinges.

"What's going on!?" I asked, frantically looking around for any Shadows that may have gotten in. Junpei, Minato, and Yukari came running up the stairs as well. They entered the room panting, trying to catch their breath.

"Where is it!? I'll kick it's friggin' ass!" Junpei yelled.

"Don't be alarmed. There isn't a Shadow in the building. However, our radar picked up a Shadow that was on the rail tracks. It's taken over the train. It's really big and it could mean a lot of harm towards people outside during the Dark Hour. Our mission is to find it and eliminate it before it can cause any harm to us." Akihiko said.

"Yes. This is a big mission, so we have to plan ahead. Therefore, I want Aigis to be in charge again." Mitsuru nodded. Once again I've been found holding the title as 'leader' for a mission. Junpei sighed loudly.

"Her!? Again!?" Junpei glared at me. I could feel the jealousy and hatred coming right off him.

"Yes. It seems so." Mitsuru said. "If you're opposed to it, Iori, then I can always take the evoker and the armband."

Apply cold water to the burned area.

"Fine..." Junpei groaned. "Just let me handle this Shadow when we get to it, okay? I'll rip it a new one!"

"You guys go to the rail tracks. I'll meet you there and provide support from that location." Mitsuru said. "Are we all ready?" I looked back to see Minato and Yukari talking about the Shadow, asking each other what they thought it looked like and how powerful it could be. Well, there was one thing that was certain. It was nothing that I couldn't handle.

* * *

I sat down with the group right outside of the station. Junpei was drinking from a can of soda while Minato was sitting back, watching the Dark Hour sky. Yukari was fooling around with something in her hands. I couldn't tell what it was.

I was keeping watch of our surroundings, looking out for any stray Shadows while also preparing myself for the battle that was about to unfold. If Mitsuru was right, then we would be dealing with one Hell of a Shadow. But like I said before, it was nothing that I couldn't handle. After all, I had the powers of the Universe and the new Skill Cards at my hand. I really did have to thank Philemon for those cards.

The sound of a motorcycle made everyone turn their attention towards the left. A woman was riding a jet black motorcycle towards us. How could that motorcycle function during the Dark Hour if electronics and the like didn't work?

'How do you work during the Dark Hour, then?' Thanatos asked. Well, that was a simple question; the Plume of Dusk kept me from shutting down. So maybe the motorcycle had a Plume of Dusk installed in it.

"Who's that?" Junpei asked. The woman pulled up beside us and took of her helmet, letting her long red hair flow. It was Mitsuru-san.

"Mitsuru-senpai!?" Junpei asked. "Wait a second, how does that motorcycle work in the Dark Hour? Doesn't all electronics stop working? Wait a second, how does Aigis work!? I'm so confused..."

"It's simple, really." I said. "Inside of me there's something called the Plume of Dusk. It acts as a 'brain' for me, while also keeping me functional during the Dark Hour. In theory, I could still function without it, but I wouldn't be able to fight during the Dark Hour and I couldn't store things in my memory, making me practically useless."

"Oh." Junpei looked to the ground. I could feel that he had gotten angry at me for, yet again, no reason. I would have to have a serious talk with Junpei about why he was so jealous of me later on. I would just have to find the time to do that.

"Anyway... we've found the Shadow. It's on the monorail. The first thing that I want you to do is find your way to the monorail and get on. I'll give you further directions afterwards." Mitsuru explained. Minato drew his sword and evoker and started walking toward the monorail. Yukari followed suit, taking her bow out. Junpei threw his can behind him and started walking.

"Aigis, make sure that you keep them in check, okay?" Mitsuru asked me before I started to walk along with the others.

"Don't worry, Mitsuru-san. Everything's going to be fine, alright?" I assured her. I noticed that they had a considerable lead on me, and that I had better get moving if I didn't want to be left behind on the mission. "Hey you guys! Wait for me!" I started to run towards them, leaving Mitsuru to herself. I had quickly caught up with them. Minato was walking alone, still looking at the sky.

"You like the sky, huh?" I asked.

"What happens to the sky during the Dark Hour is interesting to me." Minato said. "It looks nice, but the Dark Hour is supposed to be something that's evil and deadly. Fitting for someone like you."

"And just what does that mean?" I asked. What was he getting at making that comparison?

"You're a deadly robot, but all of that is masked by your beauty." Minato explained. He started to walk faster. The monorail was coming into view.

"Hey!" I called after him. I wanted to talk to him more. "Thanks!"

I was falling in love with Minato all over again...

When approaching the monorail, Junpei had wanted Yukari and I to move in first.

"Ladies first!" He had said. The both of us just stood there with incredulous looks on our faces. Was he really trying to sneak a peek at us? Well, it wouldn't work on me, but still, someone staring at my rear end didn't feel right.

"Are you trying to play a trick on us?" I asked. "Because it's not going to work, Junpei-kun."

"No, I really am offering you guys to go first." Junpei said. Accepting his offer, Yukari was the first to go up.

"Don't. Look. Up." She ordered before she got any higher. I made sure that none of them looked up at her and then walked up to the ladder.

"If I catch you looking, then I'm putting bullet holes in both of you." I warn, making sure they got the point by loading my guns. I was going to have to some time, anyway, so why not do it then to scare them? I giggled at their reactions.

"Are you guys on the monorail?" Mitsuru asked as Minato finished climbing onto it.

"Affirmative." I said. I was in 'mission mode' now. I call it that because I get really 'robotic' in my responses.

"Are there any Shadows on sight?" Mitsuru asked.

"No Shadows detected. Proceeding onwards." I replied, ordering everyone to follow me forward.

"She's like a different person on missions..." Junpei noted.

"Yeah..." Yukari said. "Well, she does have more experience than us, so we should just follow her lead, alright?"

A Shadow dropped down from the ceiling, surprising everyone. It was nothing special just a little book. One round of bullets was all it took to eliminate it.

"Hey!" Junpei yelled. "Now they're just screwing with us!" I look back while activating my scanners. There was a big one in the back. A really big one. That was our target.

"I'm gonna go in there and show them a thing or two! You watch me!" Junpei ran past me and through the door into the other car of the monorail.

"Stupei you idiot!" Yukari yelled. "What are we going to do!?"

"Stay calm and focus on the main target. Junpei could not have gotten far. There are more Shadows ahead. He would have been stopped by them." I explained.

Suddenly, the monorail started moving, throwing everyone off balance. I was sent to the floor along with Minato and Yukari.

"Did the monorail just start moving?" Yukari asked.

"Affirmative." I said.

"This is bad!" Mitsuru piped in. "If the monorail keeps on moving then it's going to crash into the other one! That will certainly cause a disaster! We have to get over to the Shadow that's moving the monorail and eliminate it, now!"

"You heard the woman." I said. "We need to keep on moving."

"Well, okay... if you two say so, Aigis..." Yukari said. She smirked and then turned to Minato. "How's it feel to be surrounded by girls, Minato?"

"Arousing." Minato replied with no sign of emotion.

"Can you show emotion at one point, Minato?" Yukari asked.

"There is no time for bickering amongst yourselves. There is a mission to complete and I fully intend on completing it." I say, opening the door and walking on. More Shadows dropped down from the sky. A Balance and two more Books started to attack us. An Agi blasted in front of Minato, but he summoned Orpheus to counter one of his own. The Balance was my target, while the other Book was Yukari's. Summoning Thanatos, I ordered it to use a Vorpal Blade on the enemy.

"Woah!" Yukari stared in awe as the Shadow was destroyed by Thanatos.

"Look out!" I yelled. The Book had closed in on Yukari and almost struck her down. Yukari jumped out of the way of the attack and summoned her Persona to use a Garu on the Shadow. It was knocked down by the blow. Now was our chance!

"Should we show 'em who's boss?" Minato asked cockily, smirking at me. I nodded. He was calling for my favorite part of battle.

"Good answer!" He smiled, running towards the enemy with his sword drawn. I also ran towards it along with Yukari. The All Out Attack was one of the most effective ways to dispatch a large group of enemies, I found.

After mere seconds, the Shadow faded away.

"Junpei is just ahead. We should go and get him." I said, running into the next car. Junpei was there, fighting off three Shadows on his own. I had to admit, the man was brave, but he was also stupid.

"Come on you freak of nature! I'll take you on!" Junpei let out a war cry as he swung his greatsword at a Book.

"There he is!" Yukari pointed towards him.

"Let me in on some of the fun, Junpei!" Minato yelled, charging into the pile of Shadows that Junpei was fending off. I started firing at them along with Yukari, attacking from a distance while letting the other two fight up close and personal. Soon, the Shadows were defeated and Junpei was free.

"I didn't need your help." He said, looking into my eyes.

"I'll repeat the same thing that Mitsuru said. If you don't like it, then leave." I repeated. Junpei shut up after that, and looked at the door that was in front of us. The big one was right inside. There was no telling what I was going to face in there.

"There's something big behind that door. We should probably prepare ourselves before we go in." I said. I had already braced myself for the battle ahead, but I wanted to make sure that everyone else had the time to do that too.

"We're ready." Yukari said. I nodded my head and opened the car door. There was a giant Shadow in there. It had a female body and it was barely clothed.

"What the Hell...!? Is that the friggin' boss!?" Junpei yelled in confusion. I would be confused as well, but if you've seen what I've seen, then there would be no need to be confused. Death was the only thing that would ever make me frightened. Well that, and the thing that hides behind me at all times, waiting for the right chance to strike.

'Your Shadow.' Orpheus Telos concluded. 'It still scares you.'

The giant Shadow started to attack us with Bufu skills. I started to shoot at it as I dodged the Bufu skills, even sending a few of my own from Palladion to combat it.

"Hermes!" Junpei cried out. His Persona tackled the giant Shadow and sent it reeling. Yukari summoned her Persona to instill a Garu into her arrows. Clever usage of her Persona, if I do say so myself. I decided that I would get clever with my Persona as well.

"Athena!" I called. The Persona appeared in front of me and I hopped onto it. Athena held her shield up and then charged with an electric energy. The Shadow was knocked down to the ground after that blow.

"Orpheus!" Minato called out for his Persona to attack as well. Orpheus swung his lute at the Shadow, bashing it over the head multiple times. Afterwards, it threw an Agi at it. The Shadow let out a scream of horror as it disappeared. We stood still for a few seconds, not believing how easily we defeated the Shadow.

"We did it!" Junpei cheered.

"Wait a second... shouldn't the car stop moving now?" I asked.

"Awww shit." Minato realized what was going on. Minato and I dashed forward towards the controls of the monorail while Yukari and Junpei clung to each other screaming. I grabbed at every lever I could find and tried to pull them back. I must have pulled the right one, because the monorail stopped just mere inches before the other one. We had avoided a full on collision.

"Mitsuru... I've got everyone here safe and sound!" I said triumphantly. "We've managed to avoid drownin- I mean collision!"

"Good job!" Mitsuru exhaled in relief. "It would have been tragic to think about what would have happened if you guys didn't save the monorail. Report back to the dorm immediately, your job is done!"

"Looks like you're the hero again..." Junpei grumbled.

* * *

Back at the dorm, I had immediately went for the charging stand. I needed some rest. It was a long battle today.

'You know what's going to suck?' Orpheus asked. I could feel him smirk within me.

'What.'

'You have midterms tomorrow.' Orpheus burst out laughing.

I could hear every light in the dorm turn on as I let out an aggravated scream.


	6. Midterms

Orpheus telling me that midterms were today really put me in a sour mood. If you were to see me right now, I would seem like Minato 2.0 at the moment. All I wanted to do was not go to school and not take those damned midterms. Those things were really long, and were also really boring.

When I walked downstairs, my attention immediately went to Junpei. He was crying like a baby, bawling his eyes out on Akihiko-san's shoulder. Akihiko, although he was shocked, was comforting him.

"Junpei!? What's wrong!?" I asked, walking up to him.

"My life is ruined!" Junpei yelled. Akihiko rolled his eyes.

"He means that he thinks that he's going to fail the midterms today." Akihiko explained. "So, before the test, I've been comforting him."

"You're a nice guy, Akihiko-senpai." I said.

"I try..." Akihiko said. He looked at me pleadingly. As if he wanted me to take over for him.

Sorry, Akihiko-san! I gotta get to a midterm exam!

I hightailed it out of the dorm, nearly slamming the door on my way out. I could swear I heard Akihiko grumble at me as I did so.

* * *

I sat down at my seat, prepared for the worst to come. The midterms would be starting soon. Minato looked at me with a concerned expression on his face. I smiled at him, assuring him that I would be okay. It was nice to know that Minato was concerned about me. I guess he must have noticed the way I was acting on the train ride.

It wasn't the fact that it was the midterms itself that was hard, no. It was the fact that it was so boring... I dreaded every time the midterms would come up because of the fact that I would have to sit down and write answers that I was absolutely positive were correct.

'Hey Aigis... wanna know what he's thinking right now?' I heard Orpheus ask from inside my head.

There were multiple things that you needed to know about my Personas. The basic run down is this: Orpheus is... well, a fool. He likes nothing more than a good laugh, and he'll do anything to get it. On the flip-side, Orpheus Telos is very serious. He's the complete opposite of Orpheus. Thanatos is... well, you know that guy that feels like he has no emotion? That's Thanatos. It's like talking to a wall. No wait, scratch that... talking to a wall is more fun. Messiah is one of those guys that always keeps on talking about the greater good. Like the angel on the shoulder. Palladion acts like a robot and talks like I used to talk before I had made my decision to live. Athena is just like me, so there's no complaints there.

'I am not a fool!' Orpheus objected. 'I may be that Arcana, but that doesn't mean that you have to call me one! Now then. Answer the question. Do you want to know what he's thinking about right now?'

Sure, Orpheus. Why not?

'He's thinking about using me to get some good views. I seriously can not object to that.' Orpheus said.

I glared at Minato harshly. The only thing he was allowed to look at like that was me!

'Oh, Aigis! You're wearing my favorite ones!' Orpheus said.

Oh my God. What have I done? I tried to shift myself so that Orpheus couldn't play pervert today. Not during the midterms... sometimes both Minato and Orpheus disgusted me.

'Hey hey hey! I resent that!' Orpheus said.

Ms. Toriumi walked into the room, saving me from talking to that pervert of a Persona. As the issued the papers and we began the test, my mind started to wander.

The answers flowed out of my mind as I started thinking about how things would go. So far there were about eleven more Arcana Shadows to take care of. I would kill Ryoji when the time was right, saving us from Nyx, hopefully. I will NOT let Ikutsuki re-program me so that I attack my friends. I know better now. Still, I wondered what would happen the day he betrayed us came. Who would be by his side, if anyone? It surely couldn't be Labrys. She wasn't even discovered by him by then. Wait... couldn't Labrys show up in my place at Yakushima? You could never really know about what would happen. Oh my God I could just imagine it now. I had to hold back my laughter as I thought about that accent and a monotone voice.

How was I going to defeat Ryoji when the time came? When I finally get him alone, how am I going to defeat him. He's Death... how does one kill Death? Becoming the Great Seal will not help in my matters whatsoever. I'm trying to avoid anyone becoming the Great Seal except for Elizabeth. Philemon said that he would try to guarantee Elizabeth becoming the Great Seal.

Would my Shadow appear to try to screw me over? I could only hope that that answer was no.

By the time that I stopped my monologue, the day was done. It was time to go home.

* * *

The rest of the days leading up was a bunch of the same. Midterms this, midterms that. The final day was finally over, and I was more than ready to go to the dorm and sleep it all off.

When I got into the room, I knew something was up. I couldn't help but feel that there was someone watching me. As I started to get undressed and change into my pajamas, I heard a giggle.

"Who's there!?" I asked, covering myself. More little giggling. I could swear it was coming from downstairs.

Downstairs... how lived downstairs right below me?

"OF COURSE!" I yelled. I quickly threw my pajamas on and marched downstairs. It wasn't enough to look at me for the entire midterms, I guess. Well I'll give him a show if he wants a show, alright. I crossed Mitsuru in the halls.

"Aigis, you look really mad! What's going on?" Mitsuru asked, worried about my marching in anger.

"I'm dealing with a little pest problem, Mitsuru-senpai." I said, knocking on Minato's door.

"Yes?" He responded. He was holding back laughter. So it was him, the little pervert.

"Open the door or I'm kicking it down." I said.

"Chill out, Aigis! You're acting like someone tried to get a sneak peek of you!" Minato said. Oh, you're exactly on the money, Mina-kun. The door opened. "Come on in..." He stepped aside and let me into his room. The room... was basically a room. There was nothing there. Nothing but the standard things that Mitsuru supplied to us. It unnerved me somewhat, considering his room in the 'Other Side', what I have decided to call the time before this adventure of mine, was filled with posters of things and stuff like that. Minato closed the door behind me.

"So, what brings you here into my room? You look mad." Minato said, feigning ignorance to the fact that he was acting like a disgusting pervert for six days straight.

"I know what you were doing during the midterms and while I was getting undressed." I stated. Minato swallowed.

"Uh..." Minato must have been trying to work his brain to find something so say so that I wouldn't be as mad at him as I was. "I guess you can see Orpheus?"

"Yeah. I guess you saw what I think you were hoping to see?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"I guess you're mad?" Minato asked.

"I had to deal with midterms being the most boring thing ever and you looking up my skirt through that friggin' pervert Orpheus." I said. "Of course I'm mad!"

"Aigis... why do you care so much about me?" Minato asked. I was taken aback by his question. "I asked... why do you care so much about me? I see you glaring at Yukari when I talk to her, I see you trying to get near me every chance you get, and you're just really clingy towards me. What's up with you?"

How was I going to respond to this question!? 'Oh, I died but I'm reliving my life because I want you to feel good about yourself for once and not want to die and get married with you and have kids with you.'

"Uh... I just... I really, really, really like you." I said. Oh, great Aigis. That's exactly how you tell someone that you love them with all your heart and that you were married to them in your past life.

"As in...?" Minato asked, egging me on. Come on, Mina-kun, don't do this to me please!

"Do you want to go on a date!?" I blurted out. Oh God, I think I just made this the most awkward place to be in.

"Excuse me?" Minato asked. He seemed dumbfounded.

"I asked if you wanted to go somewhere with me tomorrow. We do have off, you know." Play it calm, Aigis! You got this, girl!

"With you...?" Minato asked. "No, I couldn't."

I froze. I could swear I just heard my heart shatter. It was utterly crushing, hearing that response from him. You would feel the same way if you got rejected by your future husband. Memories of the times that we had together flowed back into my mind. How I had yelled at him for looking at other girls while we were going out... how I had pulled him back to the dorm by his ear when I found out about 'Operation Babe Hunt'... I started to tear up. I couldn't be here anymore. I had to get out of this room. I had to get away from Minato. I ran upstairs back to my room bawling my eyes out. I slammed the door shut, almost throwing it off it's hinges. I jumped down onto my bed and buried my face into my pillow. Seconds later, I heard a knock on my door.

"What do you want!?" I asked. I knew who it was. "Haven't you done enough!?"

"Aigis... let me in." Minato said.

"Who are you to command me!?" I snapped. I was getting very irritable.

"Please, just open the door. I want to talk to you." Minato said.

"Fine... it's opened." I said. Minato opened the door and walked into my room. I turned around, wiping some of the tears off my face. He was looking at my room in awe. It was the first time that he really got to experience it.

"There's... a lot of weaponry in here. You can live in this place?" Minato asked.

"Yeah." I said. "What do you want?"

"Aigis... I wanted to tell you... the reason that I can't go out with you is that you remind me of something from my past that's really painful."

"Like... like what?" I asked.

"You remind me too much of her..." Minato said.

"Who's her?" I asked. I could already tell what the answer was.

"The girl that I had met when I was just a little boy. I had fallen in love with her... but I had been taken away from her by some scientists to some orphanage because my parents died in a freak accident with a car crash." Minato explained. "I had... promised her that when I found her again I would marry her. Just a little kid's blind wish... I know I'll never find her again. I heard the lab that she was in got caught in an explosion. She'd probably dead. So I promised myself that I wouldn't get into a relationship just for her. That's why I can't go out with you."

"Minato..." I said sympathetically. I remembered exactly when that happened.

I was sitting outside on a bench in the lab's garden area, waiting for my next mission. I was talking to Minato about what we wanted to do with our lives when this whole thing was over. Minato stood up and looked at me with the most serious face that I had ever seen.

"When I grow up, I wanna marry you, Big Sis!" He said. I had smiled at that, and patted his head as my response.

He always thought of me as a Big Sister to him while we were at the lab, always calling me Big Sis instead of Aigis. I guess he was really attached to that since Minako wasn't in his life anymore. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to respond. If I had told him that it was me, then he would surely freak out. No... I would have to wait for the time to be right. Instead, I could just stick to what I was doing before. Slowly helping him regain control of his life and start thinking happily about it.

"Minato... don't lose hope. She has to be out there somewhere. All you need to do is just look for her. I'll help you find her, too. Don't worry, Minato. We'll get her back, just you watch!" I said.

"You know what, Aigis? You're the only person who's made me say this in all seriousness: Thanks." Minato said.

* * *

Night time came soon after me and Minato talked. Junpei was lounging around on the couch while Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Yukari were gathered around the table near the back door.

"Hey dude, let's go to Tartarus again today!" Junpei suggested.

"Sorry Junpei, but we can't today. Mitsuru isn't feeling well, so she won't be able to support us." Akihiko said.

"How could I, of all people, get sick!?" Mitsuru asked. "My perfect record! My perfect attendance! Ruined!"

"Calm down, Mitsuru-senpai! You act like it's the end of the world, yet it's not!" I said. "All you need is some tender love and care."

"I think I'm getting a little sick too, Ai-tan, if you know what I mean..." Junpei winked at me.

"I already have to deal with Minato, Junpei. I don't want to deal with you." I responded. "Don't worry, Mitsuru, I'll play doctor for a while and help you out!"

"Thank you, Aigis..." Mitsuru said.

"Hey, if you're playing doctor, then I'm absolutely ready for my checkup." Minato said with a smirk on his face. I could tell that it was Orpheus talking, but you know... it wasn't such a bad idea!

"Really!?" I sped over to him with a big smile on my face. I'd love to get my hands all over his body again.

"Hey! How come you jump at the chance for him but not me!?" Junpei asked.

"Maybe she's not that interested in you as much as she is in Minato..." Yukari said. "Stupei..."

"Hey! I heard that, Yukari!" Junpei yelled. Ignoring Minato's protests, I dragged him to my room.

"Did she just seriously do that?" Junpei asked in disbelief. "Isn't that, like, not allowed or something!?"

"No, no, it's fine. I doubt that those two are going to do anything and besides, we're teenager's right?" Akihiko said.

"Ugh..." Junpei groaned, going back to the magazine that he was reading. He could tell that it was going to be a long night for him.


	7. Social Link, Go!

As I was walking out of the classroom, I had noticed that Yukari was talking to a group of other girls. They seemed like they were in a pretty heated conversation about something. I know it wasn't right to do it, but I couldn't help but listen in.

"So, did you hear about that girl in 2-E? I hear that she's getting bullied nonstop by everyone in there!" A girl said.

"That's horrible!" Yukari exclaimed. "When I find out who's doing this they're getting a wallop!"

Some girls were bullying someone? That's odd. This school is normally very peaceful! Why would anybody want to bully someone?

"Oh, Aigis!" Yukari called. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing, Yukari-chan. I was just on my way home." I replied.

"I'll come with you, then! See you later, guys!" Yukari smiled at the group of friends that she was talking with and ran up next to me. When we got downstairs, I stopped walking. I wanted to talk to her about what I had just heard.

"Yukari, was that true, what you were talking about?" I asked.

"You heard? Yeah... it's true." Yukari said. "I can't believe that! Someone bullying some poor defenseless girl! It makes me sick just thinking about it!"

"Maybe we should tell everyone about this when we get back home. What do you think, Yukari?" I asked. Yukari nodded in agreement.

"Definitely! We should tell Mitsuru-senpai about it! She'd go bananas!" Yukari smiled. "That'll get them in trouble!"

"Mitsuru-senpai is also ill." I reminded. "I doubt that she would do anything right now. Right now it could be a good idea just to alert everyone and then see what happens from there."

* * *

When the two of us walked into the dorm, we had immediately sought out Mitsuru and told her about it. Needless to say, she was outraged, and demanded that we give her the names of the accused bullies. It was scary to think that Mitsuru could go overboard about school, but she's so calm and collected when she's fighting Shadows and such. There's never a moment when she's scared, but if she thinks she's going to fail a test, she goes into her room and cries like a baby. Trust me, you can hear her.

"Speaking about 2-E..." Akihiko began. He looked at Junpei. "Can you go and get me the class roster for it? I believe that someone has the potential in that room, and we could recruit them into SEES. It would be a very big help to us, I think."

"We might be getting a new member!?" Junpei smiled brightly. "...Is it a girl?" Oh God no. He wasn't going to do that. Not on my watch.

"Akihiko-senpai please tell me that it isn't a girl... The pervert already looks at us all the time..." I said.

"Hey hey hey! I resent that!" Junpei said. I realized something. Him and Orpheus were like two sides of the same coin. They were both perverted and they were total 'bros' to Minato.

"Actually, it is a girl." Akihiko said. "At least I think..." It was getting to that time of the day. Once again, we couldn't go to Tartarus until Mitsuru got better, so I had to wait and just sleep for the night. While I had no problems with that, I did want to destroy some Shadows and get some training in. When you think you're strong enough, you're not. That was something that Akihiko had told me while in Tartarus. I had questioned him as to why he kept on training even though we were immensely powerful, killing Shadows in one blow. That was his response. It had stuck with me. It really got me thinking.

* * *

Junpei asked me to hang out with him after school today, so we went to Wild Duck Burger, the fast food restaurant. We ordered our meals when we walked in, and sat down by the door.

"Hey Aigis..." Junpei had put his burger down. "Did you... have parents?" The question took me by surprise. I was not expecting him to ask that.

"If you consider the people who made me my parents, then yes. I have one father." I responded. It sickened me to think about Ikutsuki as a father to me.

"A father huh?" Junpei asked. "You didn't have a mother?"

"N-No... why are you asking me this?" I asked.

"It seems like everyone has some trouble with their parents." Junpei said.

"Really, now?" I asked.

"Yeah. Rumor has it that Minato's parents died in a car crash ten years ago! Akihiko-senpai said that his parents died when he was young, too. Yukari and Mitsuru said that they were having trouble with their relatives that were still alive. Everyone has family issues, you know?" Junpei said. The bell that was above the door rung as a man walked in. He was moving very irregularly. The man must have been drunk. He walked up to the table that we were sitting at.

"Hey man..." He slurred. "You got any change? I need to go get some booze." He said. Who in their right mind would get drunk this early in the day? That was usually saved for night time, right?

"Go away." Junpei said. His tone changed completely.

"What did you say to me, you little shit?" The drunken man asked, putting his fists up.

"I said go away you asshole!" Junpei jumped up from his chair and slugged the man in the face. Everyone stared at him in awe as the man spat on the floor and walked away. Junpei calmly sat down and started to eat his burger again.

"What... what was that about? He was only asking for money..." I said.

"I hate people like him. People that are drunk... I hate booze. I hate alcohol..." Junpei said.

"Is that why you asked me about my relationship with my father?" I asked. "Because one of your parents drinks?"

"Yeah. My only parent. My dad." Junpei said. "My mom had walked out on him three years ago. Or, well, he kicked her out. Every day he comes home drunk off his ass saying what a big disappointment I am... I always run outside, with him yelling at me while I do so. Tch... my old man pisses me off just thinking about it."

"Junpei..." I said sympathetically.

"I don't want you to feel sorry for me, Ai-chan." Junpei said.

"But... I have a bad relationship with my father too..." I said. I thought about the constant horrible things that Ikutsuki did during his life. "He would always call me a failure when I had done something wrong. He always said that I was useless, that I always got in his way. He always tried to come back a week later and apologize for his actions, but his apologies were meaningless. I hate him."

"Sounds like you don't have it any better than the rest of us... looks like this whole team is a team of family issues, huh?" Junpei asked. "That's why when I grow up I want to become a better person than my father. I can tell that this is making you uncomfortable, sorry, Ai-chan."

"No, it's fine... let's just finish eating, okay?" I asked. He nodded his head.

Deep inside, I could feel a bond start to form with him. It was the same feeling that I got when Minato started to open up to me a little bit more. He still is a shut in, but he can at least talk to me without being angry all the time. I guess this was the power of Social Links. After finishing our food, we decided to call it a day and walk home.

* * *

The dreams that I had that night were nightmares. After hearing Junpei talk about his father, I couldn't help but think about Ikutsuki and the things that he had done to me. The last thing that he had done was call me a useless failure. It had happened during a mission. I could tell that he was angry at me. My emotions were getting in the way, it seemed. I had made a small mistake that wouldn't affect the outcome of the mission, but he had called me useless and a failure for it. I had felt betrayed, but it was odd to me because Ikutsuki is not a good person. He is dangerous.

The rest of my night was spent awake, thinking about recent events. I wondered who was that girl in 2-E that we were going to be getting soon on our team. I didn't recall anyone being in 2-E, but then again, I wasn't here for this part of the journey. I had came in a little later on, during July. I had to remember the time that Shinjiro had died. I wanted to save him. Akihiko just wasn't the same, even though he did eventually get over it. It was something that I didn't want him to go through. Losing someone that you care about is harsh. Just look at me and Minato. I was so devastated when he died that this labyrinth called the Abyss of Time opened up.

I awoke to someone knocking on my door.

"Hey Aigis... you have a minute?" It was Akihiko. "I have no plans for today, so I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me or something."

Could this be the effects of the Wild Card? It felt like everyone was throwing themselves at me recently because of the whole Social Link thing that I JUST found out about. It could have been much more helpful when I had known about them instead of running around like a dummy with nothing to do...

"Sure thing, senpai! Just let me get ready!" I said joyfully. I had always wanted to talk to him more. He was always a loner type of person, usually opting to talk to Mitsuru anyway. I looked in the mirror before I walked out.

"Oh God!" I gasped. My reflection was not the same. The me in the mirror had gleaming yellow eyes and a twisted smile.

"Are you alright in there?" Akihiko asked. "Aigis!"

"I'm fine! I'm fine! I just saw a spider, that's all!" I lied. Before I walked outside, I looked back in the mirror and found that my reflection was normal. Blue eyes and surprised face.

What the hell was that!?

* * *

Akihiko had led me to the same place that Junpei had. Once again I found myself eating at Wild Duck Burger. I guess it was just the popular place between those two.

"Mitsuru is, uh... she's resting. It seems like she's... uh... getting better..." Akihiko said. He was fidgeting around with his burger.

"Is something the matter, Akihiko-senpai?" I asked.

"Well... I've never really talked to a toaster- I mean robot- I mean girl much before... I'm a little nervous."

"I'm going to ignore that toaster comment." I said. "But you really haven't talked to a girl at all? They usually frolic to you!"

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean that I usually talk to them..." Akihiko said.

"So... you're nervous around girls, is that it?" I asked. "You live with three. Why don't you try talking to us some time?"

"That's actually the main reason that I invited you. I want to stop being so nervous around them." Akihiko said.

"You know, that's adorable! The man that gets all the ladies is afraid of the ladies that he gets!" I smiled at him sweetly so that he knew I was joking around with him.

"That's not helping, Aigis..." Akihiko said. God... it was adorable looking at him fidget around with everything while he was talking to me. Well, I had eyes only for Minato, but I couldn't deny that it was cute.

"Sorry, sorry, I just had to get that out." I said.

"Gee, thanks!" Akihiko said jokingly. "I'm your senpai! Show a little respect, huh?" We both laughed, and had a good time. I could feel a faint bond forming with Akihiko, too. I really like the good feeling that a Social Link gives you. I wish that this could last forever.

* * *

The next day, I walked downstairs to see Junpei smiling at me mischievously.

"Hey, Toaster! What's up!?" He started laughing to himself.

"Oh my God!" I yelled. I was just about ready to either A) run back into my room, or B) kick Junpei right in the nuts.

"What?" Junpei asked. "Oh, yeah! Can you help me with my breakfast? I'm makin' toast."

"Why would you need help with making toast? Are you that stupid that you can't get it in the toaster?" I asked, already agitated.

"No, I just need a toaster. You're perfect for that!" Junpei said.

"Junpei if it wasn't so early in the morning I think I'd be throttling you." I said.

"Yikes..." Junpei said. "The toaster has fangs!"

"STOP IT WITH THE GODDAMNED TOASTER!" I screamed.

"To be honest, Aigis... I would totally use you as a toaster." Minato piped up from the lounge.

"Not you too!" I groaned. I knew... this was something that would follow me for the rest of my life.


	8. The Ghost Story

It's official. My nickname according to Minato was now 'Toaster'. My life was ruined. It had even spread over to Yukari and Mitsuru! Thankfully, since no one at school knows that I'm actually an android, they don't call me Toaster.

Classes had ended for the day, and everyone was talking about what they were going to do outside of school. Yukari and Junpei had left, leaving me and Minato alone while everyone else discussed their plans.

"Aigis." I looked up from my desk to see Minato.

"You're not calling me _that_ nickname?" I asked in disbelief. If it was anyone who would call me that all the time, it was him. He was always calling me "Toaster Lady" or things like that.

"I want you to walk home with me." Minato said. He seemed to ignore that question. I guess what he wanted to talk about was serious. I decided to go with him.

"Sure." I said.

"Come on, then." Minato said. He was really forceful... I wonder what was going on. He was usually never like this unless something important was going on, like he was in Tartarus.

* * *

I swear that sometimes I think that there's an unknown attraction between men and Wild Duck Burger. This is the third time that I've been here this week! I rested my head on my hand and sighed. I wasn't going to order anything.

"Are you okay, Aigis?" Minato asked.

"I've been here so many times this week, you'd think I lived here." I responded.

"Looks like you've got problems of your own." Minato said.

"Is that why you called me here?" I asked.

"Yeah. You looked kinda down so I wanted to try to cheer you up." Minato said.

"Well, then let's talk. Anything you want to talk about?" I asked.

"You... you can see it too, don't you?" Minato asked. "That big, blue door at the base of Tartarus when we go in. You know, to the left. Mitsuru stands in front of it. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"Yeah, I do." I said. "I know what you're talking about."

"Why can't anyone else see that door?" Minato asked. "There's a creepy guy in there, his name is Igor. He fuses my Personas for me so that I can use stronger ones."

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked.

"I just... think that I might be going crazy because I thought I was the only one who saw that door, that's all. It's reassuring to know that at least someone else knows about that door and what's inside of it." Minato said.

"They can't see the door because they're not guests of the Velvet Room. When you're a guest, you see the door. I thought Igor would have told you that." I explained.

"So you're a guest, too?" Minato asked.

"You could say that." I responded. "Yeah. I actually have a key of my own. It's got my name embroidered on it." I pulled out the key and showed it to him.

"What's up with that?" Minato asked. "It says 'Aigis Arisato' on there. You're not related to me at all!" I did a double take. Taking the key out of his hands, I scanned it for 'Arisato'. Sure enough, it was there, listed as my last name.

Curse you Philemon!

I quickly thought up of a believable excuse. "You know, Elizabeth might have thought that we were related so she put your last name on my key."

"Yeah, you're right. That woman is pretty looney." Minato agreed. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. It was just weird, that's all."

"So, is there anything else you want to talk about?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah... sometimes during the Dark Hour some little boy in a prison outfit comes to talk to me. Do you see him around the dorm?" Oh no... I remember him saying something about a little boy before, and that turned out to be Ryoji! I cannot afford to have him talk to him.

"I want you to stay away from that boy." I ordered. "He is not good. He is bad. He is very bad."

"But... he's the one that warned me about the full moon..." Minato looked down.

"Then only speak with him when he speaks with you. Do not go near him. He is not good." I said.

"You have a bad feeling about him, don't you..." Minato assumed.

"Yes. I do." I responded. I couldn't help but think of the reflection in the mirror that I saw yesterday. My Shadow had looked back at me with a piercing glare. It was smiling at me. Mocking me. What did it want from me...?

"Is there something wrong?" Minato asked, noticing my trouble expression.

"N-no, it's fine..." I said. "I'm just... thinking about a few things, that's all."

"Well, okay... but you know that you can talk to me if you want to." Minato said.

"Yeah." I smiled at him wryly. I knew that he wouldn't be able to understand no matter how I explained it to him, so I would just have to keep this to myself. I only hoped that my Shadow wouldn't appear while we're at Tartarus or when a giant Shadow appears during the Dark Hour and we have to go hunt it down. Then we'll all be in some real trouble. Only I would be able to defeat that monster...

* * *

As school ended and I walked down the hallways, I heard two girls laughing. I didn't recognize them, but their laughing was cruel. I wanted to listen in. This might have something to do with the girl that's being bullied in 2-E.

"And so I pretended to take a picture with my cell phone..." One girl said.

"And...?" The other pressed.

"She freaked out and started crying! Like it was the end of the world! You should have seen the look on her face! It was absolutely priceless!" Just as I suspected. These two girls were the bullies. I wish I could have done something, but if I did, I would surely get suspended for what I wanted to do to those girls.

"Oh my God!"

"I've never laughed so hard in my life!"

Don't they have anything better to do than bully some poor, innocent student!? I was outraged. It angered me even more that the only thing that I could do was just walk away and pay them no heed. Still, though, I was sure that something was going to happen to those girls once Mitsuru gets in on this. She's not one for mercy.

* * *

"Did you hear? About that girl in 2-E?" A student asked. Me and Junpei were sitting together in homeroom, chatting away. Minato was on yet another one of his hour-long bathroom breaks. I swear he goes in there just to use Orpheus to look through the walls into the women's bathroom.

'Are you a psychic?' Orpheus asked.

I guess I must be, perv.

"Yeah... they haven't the slightest clue!" Another student said.

"How bizarre..."

Everyone seemed to be talking about some kind of rumor.

"Man, can you believe these people Ai-chan...? So, did you hear the details?" He asked me. I was interested in this rumor going around, so I asked him to go on.

"Nope!" I said. "Tell me about it, Junpei-kun!"

"Well, a girl from 2-E went missing last night. This morning, they found her lying on the ground in front of the school gate! Nobody knows what happened, and supposedly, she's still unconscious." Junpei explained.

"That's horrible!"

Yukari walked into the classroom, and headed towards us.

"Hey Yuka-tan!" Junpei smiled mischievously. "This is a tough case, even for Junpei Iori, Ace Detective and his trusty partner Toaster Woman!"

"Was that necessary?" I asked.

"Ace Detective...? Are you brain dead or something? More like Stupei Iori, Ace Defective!" Yukari groaned in annoyance.

"Hey! I resent that! Anyway, where have you been?" Junpei asked.

"I had just finished talking to the teacher. That girl they found... I saw her yesterday, on my way back from practice. She seemed okay then..." Yukari looked troubled.

"Now that's something really strange..." Minato finally walked back into the room after his 'bathroom break'.

"You were listening in the whole time?" I asked.

"Our Personas hear what we hear." Minato smirked, tapping his head.

"Got a point..." I admitted. Minato and I did share the same Persona in Orpheus.

Everyone left, leaving me and Junpei alone.

"Toaster Woman?" I asked angrily. Junpei rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously.

* * *

Back at the dorm, everyone had gathered around the table in the lounge.

"Hey Yuka-tan, have you seen the posts on the student message board? You know how last week, that girl was found by the front gate? Well, there's this rumor that it was an angry spirit from this one ghost story." Junpei said.

"There's no such thing as ghosts, Stupei! R-Right...?" Yukari asked, scared.

"So, what is this story about?" Mitsuru asked, obviously feeling better.

"It's p-probably made up... so w-why even bother!?" Yukari objected.

"I'm interested. Go ahead and tell us." Akihiko said.

"..." Yukari stayed silent. Minato walked over to the lights and turned them off on Junpei's cue. He leaned in forward and took out a flashlight, shining it underneath his face like a kid telling a ghost story around a camp fire.

"Good evening. Welcome to 'Junpei's Believe It, or Don't.' ...There are many strange things in this world... According to one story... if you get caught at school late at night, you'll be devoured by a maniacal ghost that roams the halls! The other day, this friend of mine-let's call him Shu... He said to me, 'Junpei, I saw something strange.' He sounded serious, so I asked him what he'd seen. He said it was about the girl in 2-E... He claims he saw her go into the school on the night of the incident. I couldn't believe it. She's not the kind of girl to be out at night... But Shu was as white as a sheet. He insisted it was true... Then, it hit me... That ghost must've tried to make her its dinner! And that's why they found her lying on the ground by the gate! I felt a chill run down my spine, and I broke into a cold sweat... Yes, there are strange things in this world... Believe it... or don't." Junpei told his hammy ghost story.

"What do you think?" Minato asked, turning the lights on.

"I think that it's worth investigating." Mitsuru nodded her head.

"I didn't know that you're afraid of ghosts!" Junpei smiled.

"Shut up!" Yukari yelled. "I'll get to the bottom of this and prove to you that this is just some kind of sick urban legend!"

"Please do. This is a little bit unnerving, I must say." Mitsuru said.

"Well, I'll leave the investigation to you guys. Just remember... sleep with one eye open." Akihiko said, making Yukari gasp in shock.

* * *

We had spend the past couple of days looking into those rumors. I couldn't find any useful information, so I was hoping that the others would have found some things to talk about by now. The only thing that I had ever heard about was the fact that there was a missing girl in 2-E, something that was already discussed in the rumors. Yukari said that she wanted to talk about the rumors and everything surrounding them when we all got home today, so I had better head straight home. I don't want to keep her waiting.

When I walked in, Yukari, Minato, and Junpei were sitting around the couch, like they were waiting for me.

"Hey." I greeted.

"Geez... you sure took your sweet time getting here." Yukari grumbled. "Alright, so then, from what we gathered, we can definitely say that this wasn't the work of an angry ghost."

"Oh, so that's what this is about, huh?" Junpei rolled his eyes in annoyance. I would too. Sometimes Yukari is just un_bear_able.

Okay, that was horrible of me.

"Hmph. First off, let's talk about how this rumor got started... Since the girl was found on school grounds, there's at least one similarity to the ghost story. But, why did the rumor spread so fast, if this was the first time anything happened?" Was she supposed to be interrogating us?

"It was the spooky ghost." Minato smirked.

"Let it go, already." Yukari complained.

"Hey, if my nickname is officially "Toaster" then you can take a little bit of ridicule for that." I said.

"But yeah, I was surprised when I found out the reason... Over the next few days, there were two more similar incidents. All three victims had to be hospitalized. No wonder people were talking. Next. The victims are in different classes, and they don't seem to be connected. However, they did have one thing in common. What was it?" Yukari asked.

"What the hell is this, a quiz show? Do you know the answer?" I asked, looking at Minato.

"They hung out together, I guess." Minato said.

"Something's telling me that you three didn't take this seriously... But anyway... They did hang out. Not just once or twice, either. They got in with a bad crowd, and were always out late. It can't be just a coincidence... So, to find out what happened, we're gonna do some field research." Yukari said.

"Field research?" Junpei asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Field research. There's this one place where the victims were regulars." Yukari said.

"Now you just wait a second here! You don't mean where I think you mean..."

"You're familiar with it?"

"You can't go there!" Junpei yelled. "I've heard some nasty rumors about that place!"

"Is that so? Well then, we should all go together. I bet Aigis over here could take down anyone with her guns!" Yukari smiled at me. I smiled back with an annoyed look on my face.

"Come on, Aigis! Suck it up!" Yukari smiled back at me innocently. But I could detect the venom behind it. She was a forceful girl, wasn't she?

"Forget it! That place is bad news, you hear me! Bad! News!" Junpei continued his useless attempt at dissuading her. Once she set her mind on something, there was literally no going back.

"Up until now, all we have done is take orders. Does it feel right to you?" Yukari asked.

"Did you have to say it like that?" Minato asked. "That's unfair to Aigis."

"We're going tonight, and that's final." Yukari huffed, crossing her arms.

* * *

There was one hour until the Dark Hour hit. I had a bad feeling about this. I felt like something was here, watching us. It was the back alley behind the station. Graffiti and suggestive posters were lining the walls of the buildings while there were kicked over barrels that some teens were sitting on smoking cigarettes. A group of teens were watching us as we walked into the alley.

"...The hell?" One asked.

"Check out those rags... They're from Gekko High." The other said.

Yukari pushed us over to the two thugs.

"I think you're in the wrong place." The first one said.

"W-well... It wasn't necessarily our choice to be here, you know..." Junpei said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You don't belong here, get it Goatee?" The second thug said.

"G-goatee? Oh, you mean me..." Junpei looked down.

"We don't need your permission to be here." Yukari said.

"You know, you could asses this situation as highly dangerous, Yukari, and watch your tongue." I hissed.

"Come on, don't be intimidated by these scum!" Yukari said. There goes that feeling again. I knew it. I was being watched.

I checked every scanner that I had installed inside of me. The one that stood out the most was the scanner that I had hoped wasn't going off.

There was a Shadow near... a big one...

"What the fuck did you just say?" Punk number one asked.

"She called us scum." A tough looking girl said.

"Let's get 'em. Who cares where they're from." The girl's friend said.

"We'll post some pictures of her online that would make her daddy cry! She'll wish she was never born!"

The punks closed in on us, ready for a fight. The one punched Junpei in the stomach, making him cry out in pain. He was floored. The other closed in on me.

"You got anything to say, pretty girl? Shame that you have to be associated with that slut other there... you look like you don't even wanna be here!" The thug said. They all started laughing. "Why don't you hang with us? We'll show you a good time!"

"That's enough out of you." A familiar voice said. It was Shinjiro.

"They didn't know what they were getting into. I'll escort them out, okay?"

"Do you know who you're talking to you little shit!?" The thug yelled. He charged for Shinjiro, but he punched him in the stomach hard.

"Damn you Shinjiro!" He yelled. "Do you honestly think that you're going to go home alive?"

"Sure do. Try me." Shinjiro spread his arms wide.

"Tch... Screw this..." All of the thugs left, and Junpei finally got back onto his feet.

"For what reason did you come to this place?" Shinjiro asked. "Don't you know what goes on in here?"

"We had our reasons." Yukari explained.

"What do you want to know about, the ghost story?" Shinjiro asked us. We sat down at the bench together.

"Y-Yeah." Junpei said, still shaken from the hit that he endured.

"It's a rumor. Those girls who wound up in the hospital were here talkin' shit every night... about all the things they'd done to some girl named Fuuka." Shinjiro said.

"You mean Fuuka Yamagishi? From 2-E?" I asked.

"That's why people are saying it's Fuuka's spirit that did it. I hear it's all over the net, too."

"Fuuka's spirit? What do you mean by that?" Yukari asked.

"You guys don't know? This Fuuka girl might be dead. She hasn't been home in over a week. Don't you guys go to school!? How do you not know this?"

"Are you serious? I had thought that she was out sick... Oh man... if she's dead..." Junpei looked hurt.

"We should ask Mr. Ekoda about this. He's their homeroom teacher." Minato said.

"I get it, Aki... Still trying to make up for the past. It's you who can't let go..." Shinjiro stood up.

We all looked at each other confused. I, however, knew what he was talking about. But that would come up later.

"Well, that's all I know. Satisfied?" He asked.

"Yeah! Thanks, senpai!" Junpei bowed. The rest of us followed suit.

"Don't come here again." Shinjiro warned.

* * *

When we got back into the dorm, I instantly went to go to sleep. It was a long day... But one thing that still scared me was that I never found out who was watching me. I could swear that it was someone... Maybe it was just me being paranoid.

I could only hope that Fuuka was okay... I had started thinking about where she could be... what she was feeling... all of that stuff.

Well, whatever it was, we would find out tomorrow for sure. You could count on me, the Ace Detective's partner, Toaster Woman, to find out the answer!

I'm even making fun of myself, now...


	9. The Second Full Moon

Today was the day that we had promised that we would get to the bottom of the case of Fuuka Yamagishi. There were multiple things that we had found out now thanks to the help of Shinjiro, and after school we were going to question a teacher as to what had happened to Fuuka. It was all I could think about while class was going on. Minato was shooting Yukari some questioning looks, while Yukari shot some of her own back.

What's going on between the two?

'If you recall, you and Minato were like this too when you were dating.' Orpheus said.

You're kidding me, right? Those two are dating now!?

'Yep. But don't worry, if things play out like last time, then Minato is still yours. You're just going to have to endure those two going at it.' Orpheus said.

I hope so, or Aigis is gonna have to kill a bitch.

'Damn... when it comes to Minato, you're really freakin' aggressive...' Orpheus noted.

"Aigis, you okay? You look heated!" Junpei said.

"Well, I kind of want to go out with Minato, but he's going out with Yukari." I explained.

"Oh... well, I think I know something perfect." Junpei smirked.

"No."

"Dammit!" Junpei snapped. "Foiled again!"

"Don't worry, Junpei! I'm sure that someone is going to come your way eventually." I said.

"Thanks, Ai-chan." Junpei said. "You know... truth be told, I used to not like you that much. You always seemed like you were just some heartless robot, but then I realized that you're not just that. You're our leader, and our friend. You know, I'm sorry that I've been such a damned asshole to you about you being the leader and all, I guess I just got jealous, you know? And being jealous isn't a good thing. You're a really nice person, Aigis, and I wouldn't want you any other way. I don't think I could date you if I tried, anyway..."

"What makes you say that?"

"You're way outta my league! And plus, you're a total bro." Junpei said.

"Junpei, please rephrase that. I'm a girl." I reminded him.

"I mean it in a metaphorical sense, Ai-chan! Although you're a girl, when you're with me, you're like a brother! You're a pretty cool person, Ai-chan." Junpei said. I could feel the sincerity in his voice. It was heartwarming. I guess... if I wasn't set on Minato, I really would go for him. "You don't know idioms and all that stuff very well, do you?"

"Well, I know that one phrase... I think it goes, "What goes around comes around to hit you in the back of the head.". Am I right?"

Junpei sighed and chuckled to himself. "Well, I guess you're right in one aspect. Class is almost over, we should get ready to question Mr. Ekoda."

"You're right. I hope that we can find Fuuka before anything bad happens to her." I said.

* * *

We walked into the faculty office to see Mr. Ekoda and another girl sitting down talking. Mitsuru was already there talking to the teacher.

"Oh, Mitsuru-senpai. What are you doing here?" Yukari asked.

"I'm here for the same reason as you. Mr. Ekoda, I'm here to ask you about a student named Fuuka Yamagishi." Mitsuru explained, pushing her hair out of her face. She had a stern look in her eyes.

"No... Fuuka... I never thought that it would turn out like this..." The other girl said.

"Wait... you're that girl!" I said, recognizing her as the girl that was making fun of Fuuka with someone else that day when I was walking home.

"What did you do to her!?" Mitsuru asked harshly.

"Hold on, Mitsuru... This isn't an interrogation. Natsuki, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. You wouldn't want to give her the wrong idea." Ekoda said. I immediately took a disliking to him. I also put the girl in my database as "Natsuki". A short list of names showed up. Browsing through them, I found a girl whose picture matched her looks exactly. So her name was Natsuki Moriyama. I'll have to look out for her and be careful.

"Fuuka... She always looked so frazzled whenever I gave her a hard time... Then I realized... She's an honor student, but deep inside, she's the same as us. I knew exactly which buttons to push. We were just messing with her that day, too! May 29th... We took Fuuka to the gym... and locked the door from the outside..." She explained.

"You locked her in!? Do you have any idea what could happen to that girl!?" I yelled.

"Look, I know, okay!?" Natsuki snapped. "That night, Maki returned from school alone. She was afraid of getting in trouble for what we did to Fuuka. She was worried that she would commit suicide. She never came back... the next morning..."

"...She was found lying down in front of the school gate." Minato finished for her.

"I went back to the gym to let her out, but the door was still locked. So, I opened it and went inside... Fuuka wasn't there! We all freaked out... starting that night we went looking for her. But every night, another one of us went missing... and they ended up like Maki!" Natsuki said.

"So... you went to let her out because you were scared that you and your little gang of bullies were going to get in trouble if a girl that you were bullying nonstop was going to commit suicide!? You're pathetic. You're truly low..." I scowled.

"I see... By the way, Mr. Ekoda... All this time, you've attributed Yamagishi's absences to "illness." But in reality, she was missing. You must have been aware of that... What was your intention?" Mitsuru said.

"I was thinking of the students, of course. What were they going to do if they found out that a student was missing!?" Ekoda said. That was the last straw. I picked him up by the collar, automatically switching to my normal body. Everyone gasped in surprise as I he was effortlessly lifted from the ground. He reminded me too much of Ikutsuki.

"So you didn't report it to the police because you were thinking about the "good of the class" is that it? You're scum, just like my creator!" I growled.

"I-It was in her best interest! I wouldn't want her records to be stained by something like this! Her parents agree!" Ekoda struggled to breath. I slowly moved my hand from his collar to his neck. Yukari jumped on me to stop me from what I was going to do, but she couldn't budge me.

"So to protect your career, you ignored your responsibility as a teacher!? You're despicable! You're not even worthy of your job!" I had his neck in my hand.

"Aigis, stop!" Mitsuru commanded.

"I-I didn't... I was just..." It was too late to apologize, Ekoda. I threw him across the room, crashing him into his desk. I made to advance towards him.

"Aigis!" Minato yelled. "Please!"

I stopped.

"Oh my God..." I finally realized what I had just done. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"Don't worry about it, Ai-chan... You just got really mad, that's all. It happens to everyone..." Junpei said.

"About your friends... Did you notice anything unusual before the incidents?" Mitsuru asked.

"Y-Yeah..." She was even more shaken up by my outburst. "They all heard some kind of voice..."

"A voice...?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yeah... it was really creepy." Natsuki said.

"There's no doubt about it, then." Mitsuru gathered us all up in a circle. "It's them. It has to be. Before we thought that there was no way of knowing why some people stayed conscious during the Dark Hour, but it's the voice; it draws them in. It's not some kind of random phenomenon. It's the Shadows. Shadows... are the enemy of mankind." She turned to Natsuki. "Stay at our dorm tonight. We have a room prepared for you. And if you hear the voice, then don't leave the room, whatever you do, okay?" Turning back to us, she cleared her throat. "We're going to meet in the Student Council room to discuss what we're going to do."

"T-Tonight?" Junpei asked.

"Yes, tonight. We're going to save Yamagishi... from what I think, she's still inside the school."

* * *

The Student Council room was dark. Very dark. I had made my eyes shine brighter so that we could get some lighting in the room.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do." Mitsuru said. "We're going to infiltrate the building. From what I know, Yamagishi is still in here."

"But senpai, how long do you think we're going to be here? During Midnight, this place becomes-" Yukari was interrupted by a hand that Mitsuru put up.

"Tartarus. I know. That's exactly why we're here." Mitsuru said. "I think that Yamagishi is somewhere inside of Tartarus.

"But that was ten days ago!" Junpei objected. "For all we know she could be-"

"Do you think that time flows normally during the Dark Hour? In real time, the time that we're experiencing makes the Dark Hour last about an hour. So in respect to that, Yamagishi could have been in there for ten hours in real time." Akihiko said. "It's just a theory, but it's one that is definitely worth trying out."

"You're right Akihiko. I hope that she's okay. We can only last about an hour in there... how can she last ten?" Mitsuru said.

"We might not even be able to get to her." Yukari said. Akihiko jumped out of his seat and slammed his hands on the table.

"So you're just gonna let her die!? If you don't want to go, then I'm going by myself. It's worth a shot. I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to her." Akihiko said.

"Senpai...?" Yukari looked startled.

"We can't just leave her in there, Akihiko's right." Mitsuru said. "We have to wait until the Dark Hour."

"But what are we going to do until then?" I asked.

"Well, that's a simple question..." Mitsuru said. "We're going to hide out in the closet. Where Yamagishi was locked."

"Wow... who knew that Mitsuru Kirijo of all people would take that risk of getting caught!" Junpei whistled.

"It would do well if you shut your mouth sometimes, Iori." Mitsuru said.

"Yeesh..." Junpei mumbled. Watching carefully if anyone was watching us, we snuck out and and found the key to the gym. We quickly moved silently through the halls to the gym and unlocked the door. After the rest of the team got in, I locked the door and threw Minato the key. He put it in his pocket and followed us to a corner of the gym. All we had to do was wait for the day to be over, and then we could sneak out and then find Fuuka inside of Tartarus.

The day was over, and everyone was gone. It was time for us to carry out the mission.

"Well then... it's time to get to work. Since I'm sure that the main hallways is always the base of Tartarus, we should go over to there." Mitsuru said. "We have to make haste. We have only one minute."

"Right." Akihiko nodded. "Beginning the mission now!"

We ran and ran towards the main hall. My leg motors were starting to overheat from all of the running. Due to the weather, it was really humid in the building and that was making all of my motor drives freak out. We had came across the final hallway that would lead us into the main one. We had to hurry. We only had at least twenty seconds left. I tried to speed myself up to make it, disabling the limiters on my leg motor drives.

"Ah!" I yelped as I tripped. I looked at my legs. They were smoking.

'You're damn right they're smoking.' Orpheus said.

"This is serious you asshole!" I yelled aloud.

"Aigis!" Minato stopped and looked back to see me on the floor.

"Minato, help! It's almost the Dark Hour!" I reached out for him. Minato came running towards me. There were five seconds left. I was right outside of the door way. He grabbed my hand and tried to lift me up, but I was too heavy for him. Maybe I should have cut down on the artillery...

"Oh no." I said.

"What?" Minato asked. The entire world seemed to spin as the Dark Hour hit. The school had started to transform into the tower that it becomes during the Dark Hour, Tartarus.

"We're too late! Shit!" Minato swore.

"I'm sorry..." I said. "You should have left me behind."

"And leave you alone there!? Hell no!" Minato said. "We got ourselves into this, so I'm sure that we can get ourselves out." The floor beneath us started to move. The scenery changed to a purple like castle. This was the second block of Tartarus. One that we had just started to explore.

"Somehow we got thrown into Tartarus, then, huh?" Minato asked.

"C...n yo... m..." I had received a faint signal from Mitsuru. The communication was breaking up we would have to go it alone.

"Well, crap. What about Shadow weaknesses?" Minato asked.

"I don't feel that we're going to need to worry about that. Remember, we're both Wild Cards." I reminded him.

"I know, but still..." Minato said. "Oh well, I shouldn't complain. We have something that we have to do."

"You're right. We need to save Fuuka and get the hell out of here!" I nodded. My leg drives finally cooled down, so I was able to move again. We looked all over the place for Fuuka. It seemed like she wasn't on this floor at all. So then it was time to move up to the next.

I could feel a terribly evil presence at the stairs. I held Minato back. My scanners failed to find anything that was related to the power that I was finding. All I had found was something that was at the base of the stairs. Which, of course, was the presence that we were feeling. The feeling was so horrible...

"Minato... wait... I feel something horrible here..." I warned.

"I feel it too. What oppressing power..." He said.

We turned the corner to the stairs.

"Aigis! My old pal!" I heard my voice call to me.

"What the hell!?" Minato looked shocked. With her arms spread wide, my Shadow stood there looking at us expectantly.

"Minato... I want you to run. I want you to run away. As fast and as far as you can. Find something that can take you back to the entrance NOW." I said.

"What's going on!? THERE'S TWO OF YOU!" Minato yelled.

"Aigis! I'm here to put a stop to your life!" Shadow Aigis declared. "And hell, I'll even take care of your little boyfriend while I'm at it!"

"Minato, RUN!" I yelled at him. He was looking at her, frozen in fear. "I TOLD YOU TO RUN!"

Minato snapped out of it and ran past Shadow Aigis to the stairs. It was just me and her.

"What are you here for!?" I asked. "Why can't you leave me alone!? I knew it! It was you that was watching us a that back alley!"

"We were being watched!?" Minato asked. Why didn't he go up the stairs yet!?

"I will not let you interfere with my plans, me! It's time for you to die!" Shadow Aigis yelled.

Shit... oh shit...

"I'll help, Aigis!" Minato yelled. "Let's beat this impostor!"

"Impostor? Hahaha! Don't make me laugh! But then again, you don't know what I really am. I am a Shadow... the true self!" Shadow Aigis laughed as she loaded her guns.

"Minato run! This is a fight that you can't win!" I said. "Just get to saving Fuuka already!"

"But, Aigis-!" Minato didn't finish his sentence. I picked him up and threw him at the stairs.

"Get going already!" I yelled.

Minato finally listened to me. He ran as fast as he could up the stairs, finally leaving me and my Shadow alone.

"Well then... you want to go this alone?" Shadow Aigis asked. "It's a really foolish gesture, but I can deal with it. It's time to die, Aigis."

The Shadow immediately went for a punch directed to my face. I grabbed the fist and kicked her side. She came back with a sweep at my feet. I jumped over them and flipped over her. I started firing my guns as I came down. It looked like it had little to no effect on her, but I couldn't give up. My Shadow was just as resistant as me, so this would be an even battle. I hope. I sincerely hope that she doesn't do anything that would make this unfair.

"Aigis, you seem like you're panicking!" Shadow me smiled. She weaved over to me, trying to confuse me. She once again went for a punch towards my head. I ducked under the fist and delivered a harsh uppercut. She was sent flying into the air. While she was suspended in the air, I unleashed my missiles into her, enveloping her in a fiery smoke. My Shadow dashed out of the smoke and kicked me right in the stomach. I doubled over and she slammed me overhead, sending me to the ground.

"Got nothing to say?" Shadow Aigis asked. "That's weird. Usually you start talking about self righteous things and how "I'll win with the power of friendship!". Brats like you make me sick to my stomach. I'll kill you and take your place."

"Like hell you will... I have people that I need to get to... I have people that I need to help... there's no way that I'm going to lie down and die in front of you just because you got a hit in! You're never going to hold me down! I'm going to win!" I stood up. "I know that just accepting you won't make you go away. You're always going to be there. But that doesn't mean that I can lose against you!"

"There's the self righteousness!" Shadow Aigis taunted. "Fight if you're going to fight!"

"Persona!" I cried out. Thanatos appeared in front of Shadow Aigis.

"If you even think about hurting her... I'm going to kill you." Thanatos said, drawing his katana and slashing her. He continued his assault of swipes, cutting some of her armor off as he did so. If I couldn't hurt her with just my power alone, then I would have to use my Personas against her. And hopefully, she didn't have any.

"So now it's going to be a Persona battle, huh? Then come on out, Athena!" A reverse colored version of Athena appeared in front of her and stabbed her spear in the ground. She then pulled it out of the ground in a swinging motion. A wave of darkness kicked up as she did so. It went so fast, I had no time to dodge. As the wave touched me, I felt an intense pain shoot up from my body. I gasped in pain as I tried to keep my balance.

I jumped into the air again and called Messiah this time. He held his hand up into the air and a little yellow orb appeared in his palm. He concentrated energy into it, making it grow larger, and larger, and even larger. The Morning Star in his hands was ready to be released. Messiah threw it towards my Shadow, enveloping her in the intense white light. Just for good measure, I balanced myself on the ground and started to unload all of my missiles into her. I had hoped that this was the final blow and that I could get to Minato. I was worrying about what he was going to do alone like that. I was also worried about what he might be thinking, considering he just saw my Shadow and all. It was so abrupt for him he probably couldn't even tell what was going on.

The smoke that had kicked up after the blast cleared, revealing my Shadow on the ground face down. She placed her hands on the ground and tried to push herself up, but her hands slipped and sent her back down. She repeated this action until she finally got up on her own two feet.

"...I guess I have to retreat for now... shit! I won't forget this, Aigis!" My Shadow pointed at me. She started to fade away back into the shadows. Where she belongs. It was time for me to move on and join up with the rest of the group.

As soon as I walked up the stairs, I heard a voice.

"Hello? Are you a... human...?" It sounded like a girl, so it couldn't be anyone that I know except for Yukari and Mitsuru. Besides, though, they had gotten to the main floor, anyway, so it couldn't be them. It also sounded shy. I turned my head around to look at a blue haired girl, huddled into the corner, and shivering in fear.

"Y-Yeah... I'm a human." I said. "What's your name?" The girl shakily got up and walked to me.

"My name is Fuuka... Fuuka Yamagishi. I've been in here for a while now, but when those monsters come, I can somehow sense them and I can hide from them, so I'm okay. The main problem is the fact that I didn't have any food besides those odd things that I found in the chests lying around. Are you here to save me, miss?" Fuuka asked.

"Of course I am. We need to join up with my friends, but don't worry, I'll protect you from any Shadow that might come our way, okay?"

"Thank you, Miss."

"Aigis." I said. "My name is Aigis."

"Oh, well then thank you, Aigis-san." Fuuka smiled at me.

It didn't take long to find the rest of the group. Minato, Junpei and Akihiko were all waiting for me to come up to them.

"Oh my God, Aigis! Are you okay!?" All three of them started looking all around my body for anything abnormal. I felt Junpei cop a feel of my butt.

"Hey! Watch where you're touching, Junpei!" I yelled.

"Sorry!" He said. "I heard about everything from Minato. Shadows can appear as lookalikes now?"

"No... that wasn't so much a lookalike as it was my inner feelings..." I said. "I'll explain more about it later on, but right now, we need to get to the bottom of Tartarus. I have a bad feeling about the well being of Mitsuru and Yukari.

"You're right. Oh, yeah, while we were waiting for you, we've found a link between when those big Shadows or things like this happen!" Akihiko said.

"You wanna know what's going on!? Every time there's a full moon, one of those big ass Shadows like the one we fought on the train appear!" Junpei said.

"Aki...ko!? Co...e in! G...nt Sha...dows... fig...ng off! Ca...t mu...ch l...ger!" It was Mitsuru again. She was trying to contact us.

"Mitsuru and Yukari are in danger!" Akihiko yelled. "We need to hurry! NOW!"

"Right!" I nodded. I forgot... we still had to fight an Arcana Shadow... We had quickly found one of the transporters that would take us back to the entrance and went into it. Our last fight for this mission hopefully would be fighting the Arcana Shadows that appeared.


	10. Flashback

Quickly finding the transporter that would take us back to the ground floor of Tartarus, we jumped in, eager to save Mitsuru and Yukari down at the bottom floor. Fuuka followed us in there too.

When we got to the bottom, we were greeted by the sight of Yukari and Mitsuru getting manhandled by two giant Arcana Shadows. One was of the Empress Arcana, the other was of the Emperor Arcana.

"Mitsuru!" Akihiko yelled, running towards her.

"Akihiko-senpai! Wait!" I yelled, trying to grab at his arm. He threw my hand away. I stared in awe as he attempted to punch the Emperor, only to see unwanted results. He had barely even made a dent in the armor of the monstrously large Shadow. Mitsuru screamed in horror as the Shadow brought it's gigantic sword down on Akihiko. I dived in, pushing him away from the sword and taking the blow myself. I gasped in pain. A comparison to my blow would be like feeling a one ton weight drop down on you.

"Aigis!" Akihiko yelled. I turned over, facing up. I was glad to see that I had protected him from the blow, but I had suffered major damage myself. Not even an Anti-Shadow Weapon's titanium plating would be able to handle that.

"Akihiko... can you try to move me away from here? I think I might..." I said. I could feel it now. Akihiko silently nodded and picked me up, laying me down behind the stairs so that I couldn't get hurt by the Shadows while they were battling them. The last thing I saw was Fuuka putting an evoker to her head. "SYSTEM ERROR: SHUTTING DOWN."

* * *

"Aigis." It was his voice. Philemon's. Slowly my systems began to reboot. First my cameras, then my motor drives, then my voice module. Soon, everything was online and working. All systems were green.

"My aching head..." I complained, grabbing my head as I stood upright. I looked around to determine where I was. Soon enough the familiar scenery was recognized by my systems as the Sea of Souls. Philemon must have called for me while I was out cold.

"I understand that you might have taken quite the hit there!" Philemon smiled, trying to joke around with me. I was less than happy with the joke. It was almost as bad as something that Ikutsuki would say.

"Ugh... now it hurts even more..." I said. Philemon let out a quick chuckle.

"So my bad jokes can hurt people's heads now, can they?" He asked. It was clear that he wasn't expecting an answer. "Aigis, I called you here to inform you about something."

"What do you want to tell me about this time, Philemon?" I asked.

"Well, it has something to do with the main purpose of why you're still alive and well. I believe you know what I'm talking about..." Philemon said.

"Yeah... I know. Minato." I nodded my head.

"It seems that at the rate that you're going... he's not going to get his head in the right direction before the day comes that his Shadow appears and initiates the Fall." Philemon said. "I am not telling this to you as a sign that you are doing bad. No, you are actually doing quite well. All that I ask of you is that you spend just a little bit more time with Minato. We don't want you having to repeat this again, now, do we?" Philemon asked.

"I... I actually have a question, Philemon." I rose my voice. "What happened to him?"

"You're speaking of the Minato Arisato from your past life, I presume." Philemon said. "Well, he's doing just fine. But I know that's not enough to satisfy you. I know that you want more... If you want to go into details... recently he married Yukari."

"Yukari?" I asked in disbelief. Well... Yukari did have the hots for him...

"Yes, Yukari. He's really happy with his life the way it is now. Every day he goes to where they buried you and talks about his life with that gravestone. He honestly likes the gravestone more than he likes Yukari."

"Aigis!? You're in the charging bay, right? So shouldn't you be turning on?" I heard a voice that sounded like Yukari's ask.

"Huh... looks like they're calling you. You'd better get going now, Aigis. Don't want to scare them." Philemon said.

"Right." I nodded.

* * *

I opened my eyes to see Yukari standing beside me. She smiled widely when I opened my eyes. She hugged me tightly.

"Oh, I thought you had gone offline forever, girl!" Yukari said. "I'm so glad that you're awake! We saved Fuuka and everyone. She awakened to her Persona, and she's moving into the dorm. I came here to watch over you. I don't want you to die, you know? We're a team!"

"Yeah. We're a team." I smiled at her. "Yukari... how long was it since I've been out?"

"Oh, it's just been two days." Yukari said. "I mean, it's a lot better than Minato passing out for at least a month, right?"

"You're right on that one..." I said, walking towards the door. "I should probably go downstairs, everyone might be worried sick about me!"

"Yeah, they are... Akihiko-senpai the most." Yukari looked glum.

"What's the matter with him?" I asked.

"I could hear him mumbling about something when we got in after we beat those Shadows." Yukari said.

"The next time I see him, I think I should talk to him. I think he wants to be alone for now." I said. Yukari nodded in agreement and followed my downstairs.

"Ai-chan! You're awake!" Junpei smiled. "We were all so worried about you, you know!? Never do that kind of crazy stunt again!"

"I'm glad to see that you're back with us, Aigis. I should let you know that Yamagishi is moving into the dorm tomorrow." Mitsuru said. I saw that Yukari made a low, disgusted noise. Did she have something against Fuuka? Weren't those two best friends?

"Okay. So now we just wait for that next full moon, right?" I asked.

"That's the plan." Junpei said. "Oh, Ai-chan! I heard that that antique store at the mall opened up. Maybe you should check it out!"

"Why would I want to go to an antique store? I'm not into that kind of stuff..." I said.

"It might still be worth giving it a try. I heard Officer Kurosawa say that the woman in there can help us out on our quest to defeat the Shadows." Mitsuru explained.

Kurosawa said that the woman in the antique store would help us out against the Shadows? If that was true, then it was something that I would have to check out. I decided that I would head over to the antique store and see what this woman had to offer for me.

* * *

I walked into the mall, and immediately sought out the antique store. It was right near Kurosawa's place. That was convenient, that's for sure. I opened the door to the shop and was immediately greeted by the same kind of smell that you would get if you walked into an old house. This place must not have been used often until now. I could see that the woman in the back running the store was unpacking some things. Things that I've never even seen or heard of. Sensing my presence in her store, she walked up to the counter with a smile on her face.

"Is this a bad time?" I asked. "I can come back, you know."

"No, no! This is perfect! The first customer is always the best customer in my eyes. I had heard from Kurosawa that you were fighting against the Shadows. I decided to open up this store in the old, run down place here. I can help you in a special way. Other than selling you gems that contain awesome power, and cards that bestow skills onto your Personas, I can fuse your Personas with a weapon that you can find off of those golden Shadows that you might see walking around Tartarus's floors. Here's one to get you started." She handed me something that looked like a sword.

I don't use swords.

'Swords can't hurt, Aigis.' Thanatos said. He did have a point. What if the enemy was resistant to Pierce attacks but weak to Slash attacks? It couldn't hurt to have a sword, anyway. I decided that I would fuse a Persona with the sword.

'I shall take this.' One of my Personas that I had on me said. 'I shall make the most powerful sword.'

"Well, it seems that this Persona wants to be fused into the sword." I said, handing her the card that I had for Lucifer.

"I shall fuse this right away. Come back tomorrow." The clerk said. I walked out of the store, thanking her for her services. I immediately went looking for that blue butterfly. Lucifer was a powerful Persona, and I wanted to still use him. I found it in it's usual place, below Mandragora, and transported myself to the Sea of Souls.

"Welcome, Aigis! Is there anything troubling you?" Philemon asked.

"Nope, just need to use the compendium real fast." I said, walking to the podium that it was on. I opened it up and took out the card for Lucifer and walked out. I kept on walking to the dorm, and while I was almost there, I heard Orpheus saying something. It sounded interesting, so I listened in.

'So you're not glad at all, huh? You really can't be glad that she's not dead?' What was he talking about? I walked into the dorm.

"'Sup dude?" Junpei asked, as always.

"Nothing much, Junpei. I'm really tired... I'm heading into my room for the day." I said. Walking into my room, I decided to listen into the conversation that Orpheus was having with whoever he was talking to.

'Why are you such an asshole to her? You only treat her like dirt... like she really is nothing but a hunk of metal.' Was he talking about me?

Now I know I had to listen to what Orpheus was saying.

'She works her hardest every day to impress you, to make you see that she cares about you the most. And all you do is treat her like shit. It's like you treat her the worst, compared to everyone else. Is it because she reminds you of your past? She's tired of it, you know. Tired of you treating her like dirt and tired of trying to impress you at every given opportunity. So you know what? Go on with Yukari. Go on and date her, oblivious to the fact that there's someone who cares about you more than she does. Oblivious to the fact that there's someone who would die for you.' Orpheus said. Orpheus was talking to Minato...

But what happened? Why are those two arguing?

Well, Orpheus was right. I lied back down on the bed and closed my eyes. I didn't want to do anything but sleep.

* * *

It was absolutely ridiculous. While Mitsuru and Yukari were helping Fuuka, I decided to go to Akihiko's room. I had to talk to him about what happened with the Arcana Shadows. He seemed so tormented during school, and he would not come out of his room afterwards.

"Akihiko-senpai...? It's me, Aigis." I knocked on his door.

"What do you want?" He asked bitterly. I could her him punching the punching bag that he hung up in his room. His blows ere getting harder and harder by the minute, and if he kept it up, then he would probably break his hand.

"I wanted to talk to you. You seem like a zombie ever since that encounter with the Shadow..." I said.

"Is that all that you came here to talk about? I don't want to talk about it." Akihiko said.

"Well, I do." I said. After a few seconds, the door opened.

"Come in." Akihiko said. I walked into his room. It was a weight lifter's paradise.

"Akihiko-senpai, do you want to tell me why you're acting like this...?" I asked.

"...I don't want to talk about it." Akihiko said.

"Akihiko, everyone's so worried about you!" I said.

"Fine... That day, it was a harsh reminder of something that happened in my past. Me and that guy that you know, Shinjiro Aragaki... we were at an orphanage for as long as I can remember. My little sister Miki was there too... there was a fire there one day, and we couldn't save her... I was too weak." Akihiko explained. That was horrible... "I guess I'll explain a little about myself, too. Well, after that incident, I vowed to become stronger so that I could protect everyone that I could from the pain of loss. Shinjiro and I broke apart after a while... and I was left to become a champion boxer. I didn't necessarily care for the sport itself, but it was the only thing that I could do to become strong enough to protect everyone that needed to be protected. When I saw that Shadow hit you so hard that it sent you offline, I panicked. I had thought to myself repeatedly throughout the whole battle like some sick mantra that I had failed at what I had wanted to do. It hurts when I look at you because I see Miki when I look at you. You're just like her, you know? It... it felt like Miki had been killed again after that Shadow had hurt you. I didn't want to face myself... I thought of myself as a coward. So I had to get stronger. I had to get stronger to protect everyone because the strongest I was at the time was just not strong enough. Aigis... you're something to protect to me. I want to protect you."

"Senpai..." I murmured.

"I know that dating you or something similar wouldn't be helping me, but I do want to protect you. I feel that by protecting you, I'll be protecting to memory of Miki." Akihiko said. Moments passed by in silence while we were with each other. Akihiko finally decided to speak up.

"I guess everyone is more than worried about me, huh? I'll go down with you and tell them that everything's alright. I'm here and alive." Akihiko said.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I bet they're all waiting for us downstairs..."

I could feel my bond with Akihiko grow even more than it had ever done before.

* * *

I sat down in my room... choosing to ignore the fact that Ikutuski came in to speak about what they found. I knew what it was going to be anyway. He was going to say about how there's Shadows that are related to twelve of the Arcanas and other things like that.

Right now, I was more concerned with something else: Minato. What would it take to make him happy? There's nothing that I can do, is there? Should I just leave it in the hands of the others to make that boy happy and bright? No, it was up to me. I would have to do it myself.

"Please. What can you do yourself?"

Her again! It was my Shadow!

"What do you want here!?" I asked angrily. My Shadow appeared at the end of the bed, kicking her legs back and forth.

"I want to hold your hand give you a big hug and tell you that everything's going to be okay. What do you think I'm here for?" My Shadow responded. "I'm here to tell you... that your efforts to change the way that Minato feels is useless, that you should just quit while you're ahead. Nothing that you can do will change that boy's heart!"

"There is a way!" I argued. "I'll show him what it means to live! To have bonds, to have friends!"

"But ask yourself this, other self... do you even know what that means?" My Shadow asked.

"Of course I know what that means!" I yelled back.

"You're deluding yourself. You are a machine. How could you possibly know what it means to be alive? Answer me this... you are a robot, yet you are so attached to life. Why?" Shadow Aigis asked.

"Why? I'll tell you why. My friends have taught me what it means to be alive, and what it means to be happy with one's life." I answered her question.

"If you have that reasoning, then you are ignorant to the world around you. You are a machine made to look human. That is no more than a monster posing as a normal human being. You have programs inside of you that tells you what to feel and how to feel depending on certain situations. Why is it that you constantly say that you have emotions when they're all fake? Let me tell you something, Aigis. You are nothing more than a monster. This..." She pointed to her body. "This is a monster. Something shunned by society. It looks like a human, but please... you fire missiles out of you. Does a human being have guns that are connected to their body? A jet booster in their back? A flame thrower in their arms? No. If any normal person saw you, then they would mistake you for nothing less than a monster. That is what you are, Aigis. A monster. This unsightly body is what drives you away from being a normal human being. Don't you want revenge on the people that made you this way? Revenge on the entire Kirijo bloodline? Revenge on the man that can be considered your father? Go ahead... the both of them are downstairs. Make your wish fulfilled. Take their lives."

"No!" I said sternly. "What you're saying is all lies! I don't feel that way at all!"

"Then you are still too naive. I'll leave you to think about my words for the time being." Shadow Aigis disappeared again.

What was that about...?

* * *

Class once again was boring. I listened to the teacher go on and on about some stupid occult things that no one in particular even liked or wanted to hear about. It was something that you could consider extremely obnoxious.

Junpei yawned rather loudly.

"I'm so bored, Ai-chan! Wanna go somewhere after school again?" Junpei asked.

"Yeah." I agreed. Doing things with my friends should get my mind off of what my Shadow told me last night. It still disturbed me, though...

My main focus is Minato. I have to talk to him when the time is right. Maybe I could get something out of him at the Yakushima beach when we go there for the beach trip...


	11. The True Self

"Aigis... Don't you think that Mitsuru-senpai forced Fuuka into the group?" Yukari asked me while we were walking to school together.

"Mitsuru may seem a little bit forceful, but I think she's got the right intentions." I responded.

"I know, but still..." Yukari said. I could sense from her words that she wasn't angry at Mitsuru, but just concerned about how she's acting towards everyone. I didn't find it hard to believe myself that Mitsuru was a little bit forceful in her words, but as I've said, she's very nice.

* * *

"Aigis. I wanted to speak with you about something today. While the others are talking upstairs, can you come with me?" Ikutsuki asked me as I walked into the dorm. There was no one else in the room. I shivered in fear of what Ikutsuki was going to do. I would have to comply either way, or else I could drastically change the timeline. Having no choice in the matter, I accepted.

"We're going to go into your room, if you don't mind." Ikutsuki said, leading me into my room. He shut the door, not bothering to lock it. I took it as a symbol that he wasn't going to try anything today.

"I had heard from the others that a doppelganger of you appeared on the last full moon mission where you were saving Ms. Yamagishi. Right now they're accepting her into SEES. I wanted to question you about it. Minato-kun tells me that you fought her!" Ikutsuki smiled at me, eager to hear my response.

"Well... there's nothing more that I can say except for the fact that it was a Shadow." I said.

"A Shadow...? Fascinating! Shadows can make themselves into other people if they want to! It's perfect for blending in. We should watch out during the Dark Hour, in case one of you guys is actually a Shadow! Hahaha!" Ikutsuki said.

"No, it's not that. It is a Shadow, but it's no ordinary Shadow. It's a Shadow that is also a part of me. It's my... repressed feelings amplified to an extreme level. Everyone has one of these inside of them. Even you." I explained. "The Shadow could, in my eyes, be considered a wake-up-call to how you feel inside. Like I said, it's your hidden emotions."

"Everyone's hidden emotions manifest as a Shadow? Wow... this is truly something else. It seems that they are getting smarter and smarter by the second... And those cases of Apathy Syndrome aren't helping our cause either. This is looking to be one long, rocky road, isn't it?" Ikutsuki asked. "Still though, it's interesting to wonder what your inner Shadow might say to you... What did yours tell you?"

"I don't want to talk about it. It's a personal thing that I have to deal with myself." I responded, not wanting to tell him about what my Shadow said to me a few nights ago. It was something that made me very uncomfortable... Do I really hate this body of mine? I had thought I had gotten rid of the problem with the human body that I had supplied to me by Philemon so that I could blend in better... I guess that isn't the case.

After all, I could never be the real thing.

'I don't believe this!' Thanatos cried out. 'You just Social Linked with him, of all people!'

I Social Linked with Ikutsuki? But I hate him!

'It's the Jester Arcana...' Athena said.

Ikutsuki put his hand on my shoulder. I disabled my motor drives before he did so that I wouldn't flinch.

"I understand, Aigis. There are just some things in this world that you can't talk about. Your innermost feelings one of them." Ikutuski said. He took his hand off, making me almost sigh in relief. He left the room, leaving me alone. Why was he so interested in Shadows and what they were doing? I understand that he was crazy about Nyx and the Fall, but what about the normal Shadows? He was always interested in what they did in groups, or what they do to humans, that kind of stuff.

* * *

The time for another Full Moon approached. Today was the day that we had to go and find another Shadow that was lurking the streets of the Dark Hour and eliminate it. I wondered what Arcana Shadow we would be up against this time. I walked into the room to the meeting room. Both Akihiko and Mitsuru were there, supervising Fuuka on what to do for scanning for a Shadow of this caliber. Soon afterwards, Minato, Yukari and Junpei strolled into the room. Ikutsuki was there, too.

"Any luck, Fuuka?" Akihiko asked.

"I think I've found it!" Fuuka cried out.

"We were right! Every full moon!" Junpei said in joy, happy that he was right about something.

"Or so it would seem..." Ikutsuki said. While he wasn't looking I shot a glare his way.

"It's... in a building in Shirakawa Boulevard!" Fuuka said.

"I heard that they had been finding the Lost in pairs at that place." Ikutsuki said.

"In pairs...?" Mitsuru asked. She closed her eyes and shook her head after understanding what Ikutsuki said. "Oh, I get it now."

"That's the place where THOSE hotels are, right?" Junpei asked. "That explains a lot! You know what those are, right Fuuka? Where people go to... you know..."

Fuuka looked away and blushed wildly.

"Nonsense... They're no different from ordinary hotels. The rooms are a bit fancier, that's all." Ikutsuki said.

"No different? People go in there to-" I objected. Junpei covered my mouth before I could continue.

"Do things that shouldn't be heard by Fuuka's virgin ears!" Junpei finished.

"I'm not sure about this..." Yukari said.

"You're acting like a little kid, Yukari-chan." Minato said.

"Wh-Whatever! Fine. Let's go. But this time, I want a piece of the action! So, who's gonna take the lead?" Yukari asked.

"I see no reason to change our current leader as it is now." Akihiko said. "Well then, let's get going, shall we?"

Before we left, I could see Junpei grimace at the fact that he wasn't the leader this time again.

* * *

The interior of the building was... pink. Very pink. I was accompanied by Yukari, Junpei and Minato to the hotel. Many doors lined the halls. There were so many... I don't think we would be able to find the Shadow in time!

"It's on the third floor!" Fuuka yelled. "Please, go there now!"

Well, that was relatively simple. Following Fuuka's orders, we started our walk up into the third floor.

"We have to go that high up...?" Yukari asked. "God... I just want this mission to end!"

"Don't worry, you crybaby! It'll all be over before you know it! Especially when you have the Ace Detective and his Toaster on your team!" Junpei smiled. I started to not mind the "toaster" thing. I actually found it to be endearing.

"Call me a crybaby one more time, Junpei, and see where that gets you." Yukari shot a death glare to Junpei.

We finally hit the third floor. The room that the Shadow is in was behind a giant white door. Inside there was a giant bed in the shape of a heart. I could only tell what kind of room this was. It was one of those rooms that you should take your wife or husband to, if you catch my drift. There was an ugly Shadow that stood before us. It was... circular in it's body shape, with a head that looked like the symbol on the Hierophant tarot card. This was undoubtedly the Hierophant Arcana Shadow. Was this it? There was no way that it could be that easy to get to the Shadow that we were supposed to face for the mission. But... beggars can't be choosers, can they?

"Be careful. It's Arcana is the Hierophant." Fuuka warned. After seeing us, it screeched like a banshee and fired a thunderbolt at Yukari.

"Eek!" I jumped up a few feet before I started to shake. I hate thunder. I hate lighting. I hate everything that has to do with it. Thunder and I... it's just one of those things that don't mix well. Like cats and dogs.

"Ai-chan... are you afraid of lighting?" Junpei asked, raising his brow.

"Make a joke about it and you're dead." I threatened, pulling out my missile launchers. I started firing rounds at the Shadow while Yukari shot off Garulas at it with her Persona. Junpei summoned Hermes to fire an Agi towards himself. What kind of idea is that, Junpei!? I might just have to call you Stupei!

Surprising me, Junpei actually swatted the spell towards the Shadow with his greatsword like a baseball player would hit the ball.

"Home run!" Junpei called out as he swatted the ball to the Hierophant. It gasped in pain as both my barrage of missiles and Junpei's Agi hit it. Minato got in close and summoned Orpheus to bash it over the head with his harp. I had to hand it to him, that harp has to be sturdy for him to be able to do it without any repercussions.

'Well, babe, it's countless hours of training... and impressive muscles to boot.' Orpheus remarked. At least I have him to sweet talk me instead of Minato. It was also like talking to him anyway. Orpheus was the other side of Minato.

'I'm also the other side of you. Do I sense a little bit of narcissism?' Orpheus asked cockily. The Shadow yelled again before casting another spell. Multiple lighting bolts fell from the sky down on us.

"God I hate lighting!" I yelled, dodging the bolts. I extended my arm and released my mini gun. Time to pump this thing full of lead. My body visibly shook from it's position as the sheer power of the mini gun was sending me back a few inches every time it fired.

"Holy shit!" Minato gawked at the weaponry in awe. He got his head back into the game just in time to avoid an attack from the Shadow.

"Athena!" I yelled, putting the gun away and jumping on top of my Persona. Athena help up her shield and dashed towards the Shadow encased in a blue aura. Athena rammed into the Shadow, and then sent an electric charge through her spear. I jumped off before she threw the spear up, into the Shadow. Athena disappeared as the Shadow died.

"Great job everyone! Time to go home!" Fuuka announced.

"Good. I was hoping that this would be over soon." Yukari groaned. I was too, Yukari, but I wasn't voicing my complaints like you are...

I walked over to the door and put my hands on the handles. I tried to pull it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Hey, there's something wrong with the door!" I announced.

"Th-There's another Shadow in that room!" Fuuka yelled. "I don't know where it is, but it's preventing you from going back!"

"Well this is great!" Junpei groaned in annoyance. "Well, let's find it and kick it's ass!"

There was a large mirror in the room. We all looked into it. Catching us off guard, a great fog emitted from the mirror, clouding even my scanners.

"Come now, don't you want to rest?" I heard a sick, perverted voice call out to me. "Go on... take the rest that you deserve." Before anything else happened, I blacked out.

* * *

"Oooh... this is so refreshing!" I moaned. This is what has to be the most refreshing bath that I have ever taken. The water felt so good on me... I leaned my head back and relaxed even more than I already had. My mind was still quite foggy, though.

Wasn't... wasn't I doing something? I'm pretty sure that I was doing something before I took this bath...

I stepped out of the tub and dried my body off. Afterwards, I wrapped a towel around my body and stepped towards the door.

'Embrace your desire...' I heard a voice say. It sounded like it was inside of my head, like a Persona.

'I am the voice of your inner self... Enjoy the moment... That which cannot be felt is merely a dream... The present is all we have.' The voice continued on. 'The future is but a fantasy, memory a fabrication... Let your desire free you from your shackles... Such is your wish...'

I walked outside. Minato was standing there, looking at me. He was... he didn't have any clothes on.

"M-Minato...?" I asked in disbelief. What happened? Did we...?

'Pleasure is what you truly want. You stand before the doorway to bliss. You cannot deny your instincts... Embrace your desire...' The voice continued on.

"N-No! Now isn't the time." I said. I gazed at the boy in front of me. Seeing him like that... it made me realize that I need him. I need him and I need him now.

A smile spread across my face as I took a step towards him, taking off the towel that was wrapped around my body.

"Minato..." I moaned. It was just too much. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed him. I needed him now.

'Aigis!' I heard every single one of my Personas yell. All 12 that I had on me. 'You have to snap out of it! This is exactly what the Shadow wants! If you do that with him, then you're going to become one of the Lost!'

The fog that was covering my mind had lifted, and I soon realized what was going on fully.

"Oh my God." I gasped. I ran for the towel and haphazardly threw it back on me. Minato must have realized what was going on, too, as he made a run for his clothes that were on the bed behind him. I ran back to the bathroom and got my clothes. Putting them on, I walked back outside.

"Aigis..." Minato said. I thought back to what Orpheus was talking about with Minato yesterday.

"What? Come to tell me that I'm nothing but a useless robot to you? That you couldn't care less about what happens to me?" I asked. Minato paused.

"That's not fair." Minato said.

"...You're right. You're right." I apologized. "I just don't know what's coming over me lately... first my Shadow comes, then THIS of all things happen... you've seen me completely naked... this is so embarrassing..." I fell to my knees and, for some incomprehensible reason, started crying.

"Aigis? What's wrong?" Minato asked, kneeling down in front of me.

"There's just been so much going on lately that I haven't got any time to think, you know? All that's been on my mind lately is impressing you..." I said.

"Why would you ever want to impress someone like me?" Minato asked. "Someone who hates everything about this world... why, Aigis? Am I that important to you?"

"Yes!" I said. "You are that important to me!"

"I don't know what to say..." Minato said. "I really, honestly don't know how to respond to this one."

'It's simple, Minato.' Orpheus said. 'Tell her the words that she wants to hear the most out of YOUR mouth.'

"Orpheus..." Minato said to himself. "I think I finally get what you were talking to me about..."

'Yeah. I was trying to tell you the entire time... the one who really loves you is in front of you.' Orpheus said. 'I guess they don't call this the Love Hotel for nothing...'

"Aigis..." Minato cupped my face with one hand and wiped away my tears with the other. "I want to tell you something..."

"W-What...?" I asked.

"I think... I think I might love you." Minato said. I felt everything around me stop. I looked into his eyes. They were filled with such sincerity... I knew it was true. "We have a Shadow to defeat, Aigis." Reality came back to me as fast as it had left. I snapped out of my trance and stood up alongside Minato. I grasped his hand. I wouldn't let go.

"Aigis you have to let go of my hand eventually." Minato said.

"No." I shook my head with a smile on my face.

"Fine..." Minato groaned.

"Oh, and another thing, Mina-kun." I said. "If I ever catch you talking about this... I'll hurt you."

"I get the picture." Minato said. "Don't worry, Aigis. I won't tell anyone except for Junpei cause you know he's gonna pester me."

"True..." I responded. I walked out of the room with Minato. It was time to get that Shadow before the Dark Hour expired. I walked out of the room with Minato to see Yukari and Junpei outside. They looked like they had a similar experience as me and Minato.

"That Shadow is going to die. Right now." Yukari growled.

"Everyone! I can reach you now!" Fuuka's voice reverberated in my mind. "The Shadow is in the same room as the other one was. Get in there and defeat it fast!"

That Shadow... it must have attempted to waste our time so that it could keep on living. What an odd strategy... still though, it was concerning. If we didn't defeat that Shadow fast, then we might become the Lost! I started running for the door that would lead us to the Shadow. Opening the doors that we walked into the last time, we saw the Shadow floating. It was a giant heart with wings, symbolizing the Lovers arcana tarot card.

"Let's bust this thing's head in fast!" Minato said.

"I wanna get out of here..." Yukari groaned.

"It's the Lovers Arcana! Defeat it fast!" Fuuka said. I got right to work on unloading all of my ammo into it. The Shadow didn't seem to be affected by it, but I could tell that it's stamina was going down. No one could take that many bullets and still be standing. Minato jumped into the air and slashed downwards. When he landed, he swung up and then called Orpheus to burn the Shadow. Junpei once again did his trick with Hermes where he batted the Agi spell towards the Shadow. Yukari fired an arrow or two at the Shadow before resorting to using her Garu skills.

"Junpei! It's going to strike you!" I cried out.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Junpei snapped back at me. He must still be mad about not being the leader. I learned to accept the fact that he was going to be mad all the time, so it didn't really bother me. However, what the Shadow did to him, that bothered me. A pink aura surrounded Junpei. His expression changed to an odd one. It was completely blank. Emotionless.

"Watch out, Junpei is charmed!" Fuuka screamed.

"I'll handle this!" Yukari stepped forward and then pulled out her evoker. Junpei attacked Yukari before she could summon her Persona.

"Yukari!" Minato yelled. I had begun to notice him changing his personality around, much like I had when I arrived at the dorm. Minato ran towards her, jumping in front of the Agi that Junpei was about to send after her. Due to Orpheus naturally resisting fire, he took the blow easily. He quickly grabbed at the evoker and threw it to Yukari.

"Thanks!" She said, catching it in the air. She held it to her head and summoned her Persona. It enveloped Junpei in a white light, and soon that pink glow around him faded.

"What the hell happened!?" Junpei asked, returning to his sense. That Shadow must have used Marin Karin on him...

I backed up and unloaded every single one of my weapons.

"Get out of the way!" I yelled. A massive array of bullets and missiles alike flew into the Shadow. It was a sure fire kill. When I finished, there was nothing left. We defeated the Shadow.

"Finally! We can get the hell out of here now!" Minato said.

"Great job everyone! Return to the dorm immediately." Fuuka said.

* * *

When we walked outside, Junpei stopped.

"Hey, Ai-chan...? I want to tell you something." Junpei said. I turned to him. The others stopped as well.

"What do you need to tell me, Junpei-kun?" I asked.

"It's... about how I've been treating you during these missions. I've been acting like a real jerk to you, you know? I've been a real asshole, talking to you the way I've been talking to you. I'm sorry, dude." Junpei rubbed the back of his neck.

"Junpei..." I said, giving off a faint smile.

"Huh!?" Fuuka gasped. "What is... what is this presence!?"

"Now... is that really how you feel?" I turned to see a figure standing a few feet away from us. It looked just like Junpei.

"Oh no..." I said. "Fuuka! Get everyone here right now!"

"O-Okay! I'm sending our Senpai right now!" Fuuka said.

"What the hell are you, you copycatting freak!?" Junpei asked.

"It's simple... I'm you. I'm your Shadow."


	12. I'll Face Myself

"You're... me?" Junpei asked.

"Yeah, that's right." Junpei's Shadow said with a sick smile on his face. "Now then, you can't really tell me that you're not tired of being second best, right? Look at yourself, and honestly tell me that you can get used to being the second best. You can't, can you? You want to be number one. Being number one is the greatest thing that can ever happen to you, right? Number ones don't have to worry about everything. Especially their drunk deadbeat father."

As soon as he finished that sentence, I could sense something in Junpei snapped.

"What did you just say!?" Junpei yelled.

"Being number one means that you don't have to worry about anything that happens to you. You can just get number two to deal with your problems for you. Wouldn't that be nice...? Getting number two to get rid of your father so you don't have to worry about him anymore? What's he going to do to stop it? Get even more drunk? Your father is worthless. You hate him with a burning passion, so you want to be number one to prove one thing and one thing only to him."

"And what would that be, you faker?" Junpei asked silently. His hat covered his face.

"Are you still saying that shit about me not being you? That's funny, it really is. I am you, that's how I know all of this about you! You know why you hate your father? Because he's number one. He doesn't have to worry about anything right? All he needs to do is just sit at home and get drunk all day and wash his life away!" Shadow Junpei sneered.

"Are you saying that that old geezer is number one because he doesn't have to worry about anything! That's a load of shit! You're just saying really random stuff to psych me out, aren't you!?" Junpei yelled.

This isn't good... if this keeps up then Junpei's Shadow would go berserk!

"You keep denying that I'm you but you see living proof right in front of your very eyes! Very well then, you miserable number two! I'll destroy you and take your place!" Shadow Junpei yelled. It charged at us, taking out a sword of it's own. I lifted my head up to dodge an upward slash that was meant to split me apart. Junpei looked utterly horrified by the sudden viciousness of his Shadow, not that the words it was speaking weren't vicious at all. "I am a Shadow, the true self... I'll destroy all of the number ones so that I and only I will be number one!"

'Aigis, you need to be careful!' Orpheus warned. 'It's coming after you and only you!'

I could see why. As I dodged his slashes, he got angrier and angrier with every blow. It was getting ridiculous how angry it was getting after it missed. It was heading right for me for one reason and one reason only.

He saw me as a 'number one'. Because Junpei was jealous of me because of me being the leader, he thought that I was a 'number one', making the Shadow want to come after me the most.

"Junpei!" I yelled. "I know it's the furthest thing from your mind right now, but you have to accept what your Shadow is saying as the truth!"

"Tell it that those bullshit lies that it's spouting are the truth?" Junpei asked. Looks like I would have to do some convincing to him before he could accept his Shadow.

"Come on, Junpei!" Minato encouraged.

I dodged another slash from Shadow Junpei. It was time to fight back. I pulled back my fist and unleashed a powerful uppercut while he was going for another slash at me. I spun around and roundhouse kicked him in the face. Afterwards, I picked him up and suplexed him.

'Get a good look, Minato. This is the girl that you're dating.' Orpheus said.

'Who gives a shit?' Minato thought. 'She manages to stay beautiful even when she's kicking something's ass.'

That was one thing I loved about having the same Persona as Minato. I got to hear his thoughts, just like he got to hear mine. I blushed and gave him a quick smile before I got to work on keeping Shadow Junpei at bay. Yukari and Minato were supporting me, casting Dia, Sukukaja, Tarukaja and Rakukajas alike. They knew that Shadow Junpei's anger was directed towards me, so they decided to stay out of it for now. I punched Shadow Junpei in the stomach and turned towards Junpei.

"Junpei! Hurry! It's not going to stop unless you accept it!" I yelled.

"Tch... Alright, fine! Maybe I do hate not being number one, but it doesn't mean that I hate Ai-chan or my old man for that. I hate my old man because he's a drunk. I've got no beef with Aigis. She's like a sister to me." Junpei said, standing up from his location on the ground. He walked towards his Shadow. "You know, you can stop saying that shit about me not wanting to be number two anymore, right? It's getting real old. Maybe you should just calm down... no, maybe _I_ should calm down. You are me, after all." Junpei's Shadow looked up at him, his twisted face contorted in rage changing to a happy smile. The Shadow disappeared without another word.

"Well, that was something, wasn't it?" Junpei sighed. "I can't believe that you saw that..."

"It sure was, Junpei! Who knew that you had that thing lurking inside of you!" Yukari said. "That took a lot of courage to stand up to yourself. I gotta commend you for that."

"Wow! You all did it!" Fuuka said. "Mitsuru and Akihiko-senpai want you back at the dorm now! It's been a rough night, and the Dark Hour is almost over..."

"Yeah... I'm beat." Minato said. "Three things we had to fight."

* * *

I woke up the next morning thanking whatever Gods might answer my prayers that today was a Sunday. I got dressed in my usual sundress and walked downstairs. On the second floor, I heard Minato and Yukari talking to each other.

"So, you don't think that it's going to work out with me?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah... I mean, you're a very nice person and all, but I think that the better fit for me is... well, Aigis." Minato said.

"Aigis, huh?" Yukari asked. "You'd choose a robot that can't feel anything other flesh and blood?"

"That's not fair to her and you know that, Yukari." Minato said. "So what if at heart she's a robot?"

"Sorry... I just got a little mad, that's all. I'm still thinking about yesterday." Yukari said. "I guess it doesn't help that Aigis can blend in perfectly with that human body of hers."

"Hi guys!" I walked all the way down, interrupting their conversation. I wasn't liking the direction that it was going.

"Ai-chan!" Minato smiled. "What are you doing up this early? You hate mornings."

"I like any morning if it's spent with you..." I smiled at him.

"Do you like making me feel uncomfortable?" Minato asked.

"You're so cute when you're flustered." I noted. "I wanna go out on our first official date."

"Now?" Minato asked.

"Yes, now." I smiled at him even more. I saw Yukari glaring at me from the corner of my eye. Let her be mad. Truthfully... I don't like Yukari myself. I remember during the Abyss of Time, she was the one who made all of us fight. She was more the cause for the Abyss to appear more than any of us. Minato stood up and walked along with me outside the dorm.

* * *

"I find it funny that you brought me here considering that you did say that you didn't want to go here anymore." Minato commented, stifling a laugh. I had taken him to Wild Duck Burger because I figured that he would want to go here instead of some other place. Plus, I wanted to avoid the mall. Since it was a Sunday, Yukari was out shopping once again. I didn't want to think of the things that would happen if she saw me and Minato together.

"I came here to avoid Yukari." I said. "She doesn't like the fact that we're going out, you know."

"You don't like Yukari, huh?" Minato asked. "Is that why you leave her down at the bottom of Tartarus with Fuuka whenever we go in there?"

"Glad you can tell when I don't like someone." I responded.

"Alright... so to get this clear... when you don't like someone, you don't include them?" Minato asked.

"That's right." I said. "Either that or leave the room that they're in and wait until they're gone."

"You do that with Ikutsuki." Minato said. "Does that imply that you don't like him? He's the chairman!"

"He made me. I don't like him because of the way that he had treated me when I was still at the lab." I said.

"There's that reference to the lab again... What is it with you and Ikutsuki-san and that lab? What happened there that was so important?" Minato asked.

"Nothing happened there. It was just the place where I was born, that's all." I said. I didn't want to tell him about the fact that I had known him from the lab.

"Still though, the way you act around Ikutsuki is odd. He created you, right? Shouldn't you be treating him like a father, then?"

"I will never treat that man as a father!" I stood up.

"You really hate him..." Minato said.

"Yes, I do." I said.

"Aigis, let's get off this topic. It's depressing me." Minato said. "I... never knew my father for long, so I don't know how you feel. The only semblance of a family member I had was a girl that I had always called "Big Sis"."

My heart almost stopped.

"Tell me about her, then. Get it off of your chest." I said.

"Are you sure? We might be here for a while. I can't even remember her name anymore... I used to remember it like it was my own name. It was the name that I kept on asking for at the orphanage. I looked and looked for her for as long as I remember... I had called out to her in the middle of the night... but she wouldn't come. I remember growing up at a lab, and that's it. The only thing that I can remember about that place is that I used to hang out with a girl all the time, and that was who this "Big Sis" of mine that I keep on thinking about is. I don't remember her name, but I do remember something of what she looked like." Minato explained. "She kind of looks like you, Aigis. Maybe that's why I've gotten so attracted to you. Because you remind me of that girl at the lab so much. It was a lab at a place called Yakushima. There were many other girls there that were kind to me. But I remember that the girl that I refer to as "Big Sis" was the kindest one that I had ever met."

"That's... so sad..." I said. I knew where this conversation was going. Soon he would be telling me about a recurring nightmare of his where there was a monster that attacked him on a bridge.

"If I think really hard, I can faintly remember her name." Minato said.

"Well, if you have either a name or a face, then you can find her no problem with the help of me. I have a server that feeds me information every hour on the hour, you know? It's being constantly updated with the latest information. I could probably help you find the exact location of your "Big Sis"." I said.

"Could you?" Minato asked. "I think that I would like nothing more than for you to do that for me. Who knows? Maybe if we find her we can get her to join SEES and help us fight the Shadows. It'd be nice to have someone like that on the team. I can't remember her name, but she had blonde hair and blue eyes. That's all I can remember. I'll try to think of more." Minato said.

"There's so many people in this world with blonde hair and blue eyes in this world, Minato-kun..." I said.

"I know that!" Minato snapped. "Sorry..."

"It's alright. I know how it feels to have a sister that you can't find..." I said.

'You're thinking about that girl, right? What was her name? Axe?' Orpheus asked.

No, Orpheus, her name was Labrys.

"I think I remember her having a headband, too!" Minato said. "And headphones. She wore headphones all the time. That's why I wear them all the time, too. I always thought that she was the coolest person that I had ever met. She was always so calm and collected and she was only serious when bad things were happening. She would always help me through something that was troubling me... always beat me at chess, too. And I'm pretty damn good."

"The search results are narrowing down..." I said. I looked at the number in my AR display go down to one. There was only one possible match. And that match was sitting right here in my seat.

"There's only one match." I said.

"Really? Where is she?" Minato asked.

Do I really want to tell him that I was the girl that he considered his big sister? What kind of impact would that have on him? I decided that I would go for it anyway. It's better to put out the truth now instead of hold it in.

"Tell me about her!" Minato pressed.

"Well, she's got blonde hair that's held back by a headband... nearly shoulder length, if that. She's got blue eyes, and a small nose. I can tell you her measurements, too. Starting from the-"

"That's enough of that!" Minato was blushing furiously. "Skip that part..."

"Someone's a little shy, aren't they?" I joked. "Well, she's 5'4'', too. Oh, she's also living in Iwatodai currently. She goes to our school, too!"

"Really!? What's her address?" Minato asked excitedly.

"A dorm." I said. "The odd thing about this dorm, however, is that it has both boys and girls. Want me to keep on going?" I was confident that Minato had figured out who it was by now.

"Wow." Minato took a deep breath. "Wow."

"Wow, huh? All you're gonna say?" I asked.

"I... I just was not expecting that." Minato said. "I just... Wow."

"I know that it's startling information, but please don't let this interfere with our relationship..." I said. I love him. I want to keep on being with him.

Minato smiled widely. "Well, then... I guess I learned a lot today, didn't I?" His voice started to waver.

"Minato... what's that on your face?" I asked.

"Oh?" Minato noticed that there was a tear rolling down his cheek. He wiped it away before I could see it clearly. "It's nothing."

"Do you still... want to go out...? Even knowing?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I want to still go out with you. I just wasn't expecting the fact that you were the girl that I spent all of my time with during my early years. I guess things come back, don't they?" Minato asked. "Should I keep calling you Aigis?"

"Call me what you want to call me, Minato." I said. "I don't care if you call me Big Sis at times."

"Okay. While we're still here, since you're a robot, do you understand other languages?" Minato asked.

"I only know French. I don't know why, but apparently it was ULTRA important for me to learn French. Also English, but I can see why." I said.

"Say something in French, then." Minato said.

"Très bien." I said. "That's all of the French you're getting out of this girl."

"Damn... I was hoping for something dirty..." Minato snapped.

"We can save that stuff for later on..." I said, winking at him. There was going to be no stop to my advances on him until he finally gave in.

'You really want to get in that guy's pants, don't you?' Orpheus asked.

Oooh... you bet.

* * *

"Where've you two been?" Akihiko asked as we walked into the dorm. It was pretty late outside.

"Oh, nothing. I was just having a little fun with my boyfriend." I said.

"B-Boyfriend!?" Junpei asked. "Don't tell me it's one of those pervs in class! You know they only wanna get in your pants, Ai-chan!"

"No, no... unless you count Minato as a pervert, then yes." I said.

"Wait a second... Minato...? As in... Minato Arisato? The one standing right next to you... holding your hand..." Junpei asked in disbelief.

I smiled at him. "Yukari is SO mad." I said.

"I bet." Akihiko said. "Well, we've been thinking about something for summer break after the final. We decided on a beach trip to Yakushima."

"A beach trip? That's just what I needed!" I smiled. It was also a good time to show off what Minato was getting since he's dating me, now. Not that he hasn't seen the full view of me already because of that little incident in the hotel.

'And what a great incident that was. It took Thanatos and Messiah to stop the nosebleed...' Orpheus said.

Sometimes, you're very disgusting, Orpheus. Yukari walked down the stairs.

"Oh, you two are back." She said. "I heard something about going to a beach for summer vacation? That's just what I needed..."

"Glad to see that everyone's good to go for a beach trip, then." Akihiko said. "Still though, we can't slack off at all! Mitsuru wants us to keep our grades up or else she'll cancel the trip."

"Are you kidding me? What is she, my mother or something?" Junpei asked.

"I'd watch your mouth Iori." Mitsuru said. "Do you wish to be executed?"

"I'll just go to my room now..." Junpei said.

So many things were happening at once... it was hard for me to keep track of them all... I hoped that I would find a way for everything to be okay. I decided to turn in for the night.


	13. Yakushima

During the morning, I remembered that I visited that antique shop a couple of days ago and had a Persona fused with a sword because I wanted to try them out in case something bad happened. I decided that it was time to go back to the antique store to pick up the weapon that the lady behind the counter had promised me. I walked into the store with a smile on my face, greeting the woman with a wave.

"You're here for the weapon, right? I just finished it. Perfect timing." The lady said. "This sword is one hell of a sword. I don't want to know what Persona you used for this one..." I gazed at the blade that she handed to me. It was... spectacular. It was... the sword that Minato used before. So that's how he got it... I could feel the power of Lucifer emanate from the blade. It was a terrifying power to wield, and it was all mine.

I should really watch the power trip and test this thing out. If it's not for me, I'll just give it to Minato.

* * *

Fuuka and the others followed me into Tartarus. I wanted to get some training with my new sword in. I walked up to the teleporter with the three people that would follow me into the upper parts of Tartarus: Minato, Akihiko, and Junpei. I always took those three with me whenever I went up there.

We arrived in Arqa without any troubles and proceeded up the stairs from the room that the teleporter was stationed in.

"Hey, Aigis? What's with the sword? I thought you used guns." Minato said. "You know, like that giant missile launcher in your back?"

"I decided that I wanted to try out a sword in case bullets and missiles didn't work." I said.

"I see a Shadow!" Akihiko pointed towards a rather large Shadow. It looked like it was a table of sorts. Tables were an archetype of Shadows that looked like tables with faces on them. They were usually 'juggling' something in midair above the table itself. This one was red and it was juggling something that was on fire.

"Fuuka, give us a scan of that Shadow." I commanded.

"Give me a second. I'll scan the target." Fuuka responded. Akihiko and Junpei went in to attack the Shadow head on with their weapons, while Minato chose to stay back and use some skills that Orpheus knew. I tried to get adjusted to the weight of the blade as I walked towards the Shadow. Unfamiliar to the weapon, it felt odd in my hands. Using a sword was simple, right? All you had to do was just swing and it worked, right? I waited for the right time and made my move. I attempted to use the blade in my hands like Minato used his swords. The Shadow showed no signs of pain. Hell, the sword didn't even go fully through it. What was I missing about using a sword?

Well, that was a total bust. I'll just stick to my guns.

"Here, Minato. It's yours now. I've got no use for it." I said, throwing the sword at Minato. It was a dangerous move, yes, but Minato effortlessly caught it without it cutting anything on him.

"Yeah... maybe you should just stick to guns, Ai-chan." Junpei noted. Akihiko finished taking care of the Shadow before anything else could happen.

"Is that all we came in here for?" Akihiko asked.

"Well, since we're in here, we mind as well do some exploring, you know?" I suggested. "Besides, I think that that barrier that we found while we were climbing up was removed. We could move through to the upper floors now."

We all decided that we were going to do some more exploring and went up the tower some more before we got tired and called it a day.

* * *

Finals started today. All I had to do was just get through this ordeal and then we would be heading off towards Yakushima! There were plenty of other beaches to go to, but Yakushima held a special place in my heart.

I sat down in my desk waiting for the teacher to arrive and distribute the tests so that we could get started on them. Minato was sitting down next to me with a smile on his face. Minato was smiling? That was a new thing to see on his face. Usually it was either despair or apathy.

"Minato, what's got you so happy?" I asked.

"Same reason that Junpei's happy." Minato said. I noticed that he was staring at me.

"Me and you are linked, dude!" Junpei said. "You're thinking about babes in bikinis too, huh?" Minato nodded eagerly. This was going to be a trip to remember...

All this talk about beaches and bikinis made me realize something: I haven't bought one yet! I would have to get right to that after finals were over. Yukari was glaring at me yet again from her seat. If she had a problem with me then she should just come out and say it...

* * *

It was long and boring, but the final were finally over! I let out a loud yawn as I stretched, loosening up my muscles.

"The dark days of studying are finally over, baby!" Junpei cheered, standing up from his desk. "The beach sun is shinin' bright!"

"How'd you do?" Yukari asked.

"I aced P.E." Junpei said.

"That's more than enough for an explanation, Junpei." Yukari groaned.

"A real man doesn't dwell on the past. He thinks ahead to the future! I'm thinkin' about Yakushima!" Junpei smiled cheerfully.

"Oh yeah, our beach trip is coming up soon, isn't it?" Yukari asked openly. "Are ya ready?" She asked Minato.

"If by ready you mean ready to see some hot babes, then yeah." Minato responded. If I had anything to say about it, I was the only 'hot babe' he was gonna see...

"Junpei's getting to you, too, huh?" Yukari groaned again. "Soon we're gonna be flooded with Junpeis."

"I don't have any practice today, so do you guys wanna go out and do something? I'll invite Fuuka, too." Yukari suggested.

"Sure thing!" Junpei said. "Where are we going? I'd be happy to help you two buy swimsuits."

"As if!" Yukari groaned. Minato and her walked out of the room to go find Fuuka. I was about to join the two, but Junpei stopped me.

"Hey, Ai-chan... I've been kind of a dick lately, so I just wanted to say that I was sorry, okay?" Junpei said.

"Junpei... It's okay. I understand. Everyone gets a little bit frustrated sometimes. I didn't know that your problems with your dad was like that, though... you should have told someone. I would have been able to help you, at least." I responded.

"Yeah... maybe we should hang out more. I just hope that Minato doesn't get jealous and think I'm stealin' his girl!" Junpei laughed. "Not that I wouldn't mind, of course..."

"Junpei!" I exclaimed.

"Hahaha! Lighten up, girl! I'm just jokin'." Junpei said.

* * *

The entire group walked out of the school building. We were just about to head home until Ikutsuki pulled up to us in his car. He stepped out of it with a small child. This child was Ken Amada. He joined the team shortly after I had, once upon a time.

"Ikutsuki-san... is this the new candidate that you were talking about?" Akihiko asked. "He's... really small."

"Well yes, he's still in elementary school, but I believe that he has the potential for _them_." Ikutsuki explained. "This is Ken Amada. I've made some arrangements for him to stay at the dorm, due to his... special circumstances."

"Oh, that's right... something about his parents or something..." Yukari said.

"Go on and introduce yourself, Ken-kun." Ikutsuki smiled at the boy. I hated seeing that man smile. I hated seeing him in general. I loathed him.

"...You're Akihiko Sanada, right?" Ken asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" Akihiko responded.

"I heard you haven't lost a boxing match yet! You're the king! That's so cool!" Ken smiled joyfully. He always looked up to Akihiko... it's always heartwarming to see a child meet their hero. I hoped to be someone's hero someday...

"It's nice to meet you, Ken." Akihiko smiled back at him. The only thing he could do now was impress the boy.

* * *

The trip to Yakushima begins today. It's going to last for four days and three nights. It's time to get going... I had went out to do some last minute shopping so that I would have something to wear to the beach. I decided on just a regular bikini that was colored black. I had been told multiple times by Minato that black looked good on me.

We boarded the ferry that would take us to Yakushima, and Junpei started to run his mouth again. I looked out to the sea. It was beautiful...

I couldn't help but think about what was going to happen when we got to Yakushima. Sure, it would be a fun beach trip for everyone, but there was also the fact about someone might have to take my place...

What I mean is, someone might be where I was in my stead.

Who would it be? Would it be another Anti-Shadow Weapon? The only one would be Labrys, and she wouldn't play a big role yet. I couldn't rule out that possibility, though, so it troubled me greatly. Right now according to my parameters, there would be at least an 70% chance of Labrys making an appearance. The other 30% chance went to no one appearing at all.

"Aigis, are you okay?" Minato tapped my shoulder. "You're not looking too good. You should lighten up, you know? Now's the time that you don't need to worry about anything and we can just sit back, relax, and have some fun together, you know?"

"You're right, Minato, but I just can't stop having a bad feeling about this..." I responded.

"Well, I know just what'll cheer you up when we get there." Minato said.

"What's that?"

"A good ol' massage to release that tension in your body." Minato suggested smiling.

"Are you sure that's not just an excuse to get your hands all over me?" I asked. "Not that there's a problem with that..."

"Hey! There it is!" Junpei pointed towards a shore. "Yakushima! Yakushima! Yakushima!" He started to chant.

We arrived on the shore and went straight to the mansion that Mitsuru said that her father lived in. Funny thing is... this is my home. I lived here before. Right underneath of this mansion is a lab... and that lab is where I was made. The final Anti-Shadow Weapon... the last defense of the Kirijo Group to make the Fall happen... This is where it all began.

"Woah... this is like something straight out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Fabulous!" Junpei noted. Before anything else could happen, some maids walked up to us.

"Welcome back, milady. You must be her schoolmates, correct? Welcome to the Kirijo vacation home. Please follow me." One maid introduced herself to us.

"Is this the right place?" Yukari asked.

Minato had a funny look on his face. I could also see that he was drooling. I knew it... he did have a thing for maids!

"Minato..." I tapped his shoulder. He snapped out of his trance and looked at me. "We're going to be heading out to the beach soon... focus on your maids elsewhere."

"Dudes! Let's go to the beach now!" Junpei suggested to the guys. "You can come too, Ai-chan! You're looking hellbent to get out of here!"

I smiled at him. Junpei always knew how to bring out a smile in people. He also had an uncanny ability to know what others were thinking... The human brain was truly a wonder.

* * *

It was scorching hot on the beach when I walked out. The boys were standing around waiting for me to come out. Junpei dropped everything that he was holding when he saw me walk out. Akihiko blushed furiously, while Minato stood still.

"H-Hey..." I had to say, it was quite embarrassing to be the only girl out on the beach right now. "How do I look?"

"Damn, Ai-chan! I knew you'd be smokin' hot!" Junpei whistled.

"Uh... thanks..." I said. While I have anything else but this on, I talk as much as Junpei, but when I'm in a swimsuit, I'm the shyest girl you've ever seen.

"Hey Ai-chan, do you know if the girls are ready yet? I wanna get to swimming!" Junpei said. He was getting really pushy, but I bet it's because he hasn't had any fun like this in a while.

"I think they're still getting ready." I said. "Why don't we just sit down and wait for them some more?"

A sudden sense of dread overcame me. I shot my head towards the right, into the jungle. There was no one there, but I could swear I felt someone... I'm being watched. I'll have to be more careful around here than ever before. I knew something wasn't going to go right here... but what could be watching me? It wasn't no ordinary animal... so what could it have been?

"Aigis, you alright?" Minato once again snapped me out of my trance. "You've been spacing out a lot lately... is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, Minato." I said.

"You're lying." Way to put it blunt... but how did he know I was lying? "Your upper lip twitches when you lie."

"You must spend a lot of time looking at me, huh? I'm just worried about something, okay?" I said.

"You passed the finals, so there's nothing to really worry about, unless it has something to do with SEES, then it becomes our problem. What's on your mind?" Minato asked again. I guess it was finally time to cave in and tell him.

"I think someone is watching us. Right now, in fact." I said. "It's making me feel uncomfortable..."

Just then, before Minato got a chance to respond, all the girls came walking out. I tried to hide myself from them, embarrassed at what they would think of me in a swimsuit after what the guys did. Minato stepped aside, that jerk.

"Holy shit!" Junpei whistled again. "Talk about hot! Lookin' good, Senpai!"

"W-What about me?" Yukari asked, angered at the fact that he noticed Mitsuru faster than he did Yukari. My guess was because he had known her for such a long time, he was desensitized to her.

"Wow, Fuuka... I never knew that you looked that good!" Junpei continued to comment on the girls. Fuuka blushed wildly in embarrassment and hid behind Yukari and Mitsuru. It was then that Yukari saw me.

"Woah, Aigis!" She smiled. "You shouldn't be hiding from us! Not looking that good." Did everyone have to make a comment about me today? Was it 'Everyone make Aigis feel uncomfortable day' today? Because it sure felt like it.

"Alright alright guys! The toaster is not to be commented upon anymore today." Minato joked. "Let's get to swimming, and fast!"

"I've been waiting for this!" Akihiko shouted, jumping head first into the water. Soon everyone followed suit, jumping in their own way. Fate had decided to smile upon me as Minato swam towards me.

"Hey, Ai-chan." Minato smiled at me. He only smiled around me, it seemed. I must brighten his day up a lot.

"Hey, Minato. So, I heard everyone's opinion but yours. What do you think?" I spun around in the water.

"Well, I _have_ seen the entire thing, but I'm still saying that you look amazing, Aigis." Minato said, referencing that little _incident_ that I thought I warned him never to speak of again.

"Minato, didn't you promise me that you'd never speak about it again?" I asked.

"Sorry babe, but the image of you naked will never leave my mind." Minato smiled mischievously. "You know what'd be funny?"

"What?" I asked. I could tell where this was going already. He was going to make a perverted comment about something.

"If someone went around doing this." Just after he said it, I felt a hand cup my butt. I jumped a little and shrieked in surprise. Minato started cackling at my reaction.

"That's not funny, Minato!" I yelled.

* * *

The next day I decided to walk out on the beach while Minato and Junpei and Akihiko were doing the 'most important thing of all time' to them. I wondered what that was...

"Aigis!" Minato ran over to me. "You have to help me out, Aigis... Junpei put a challenge on us to get the most numbers from girls that we could find... He's calling it "Operation Babe Hunt", whatever that means. I realized that I didn't have your number yet, so can I please have your number? I NEED to win this. Whoever looses has to go running around the beach naked! I can't handle that kind of embarrassment, Aigis! Please!" He started begging.

"So you're in a contest, knowing full and well that you have a girlfriend, to get girl's numbers?" I asked. I could feel the anger in me rising. How could he!?

"Aigis... please... I was going to throw all the numbers I got anyway. I've no intention of calling girls that I'll never see again." Minato said.

"Well, if you promise me that, then I'll be happy to give you my number." I said. "I was planning on it soon anyway."

We quickly exchanged numbers and Minato ran off again. After this is over I'm going to sit in his room and watch him burn those numbers.

I decided to walk over to the docks and enjoy the sea a little bit before I went in for the day. I saw the three boys hiding behind a rock when I got there.

"Okay, we can salvage this, guys!" Minato said. "That girl over there looks totally hot, and I bet that we can totally get her number! We can all try one by one!"

"Aren't you the team leader today?" I asked, walking up to them. "Whatcha up to? I thought you were getting numbers?"

"We were, but the entire plan backfired... what are you here for, Aigis?" Akihiko asked.

"I was just coming to the docks to see the sea." I said.

"Alright, just hide behind the rock. If all else fails, you can try yourself." Junpei instructed.

"But... I'm not a-"

"Just go up to her and talk like you want to be her friend!" Minato said. "That's what he meant!"

"Oh..." I blushed. Sometimes I jump the gun a bit and assume hidden meanings... I should stop doing that.

"My turn first." Junpei said, triumphantly getting up and walking over to the girl that they were talking about.

"Hey, babe! My name's Junpei. I couldn't help but notice that you were lookin' real good today! Can I get your number?"

The girl didn't respond. Junpei tried once again, but he still didn't get a response. He returned with a dreadful look on his face.

"Well, she gave me the cold shoulder... It's all up to you, Senpai!" Junpei said. He sat down at the rock again and peeped over, looking at Akihiko awkwardly walk up to the girl. I remembered that he told me that he didn't have a good experience with girls.

"H-Hey... I'm Akihiko Sanada... you might know me as a pro boxer. The best that Gekkoukan has to offer. Never lost a match once." Akihiko said. He was getting to a smooth start.

"Please go away. I have no intention of talking with you." The girl responded.

"Well... alright then." Akihiko walked back pouting. "Your turn, Minato. You're the only one who can do this."

"Alright. Let me show you how a real man gets it done." Minato walked up to the girl.

"Hey baby, my name is Minato Arisato... You're looking beautiful today. Can I get your name?" Watching him talk to her like that angered me to no end. Even though this was a little challenge thing that Junpei set up, I was still worrying about if he actually got a girl or not.

I'd rip their lungs out if they even touch him.

"You... are not the one that I'm looking for." The girl responded. Minato walked back, shoulders slumped. Looks like it was my turn.

"Help us, Aigis! You're my only hope!" Minato begged.

"Please..." Junpei said.

"Alright, fine!" I sighed heavily. I walked towards the girl. Observing her, she had long silver hair that was in a ponytail. She was wearing a white sundress that looked similar to mine when I was standing on the same dock. A sense that could be akin to nostalgia overcame me. As I approached the girl, that feeling grew and grew and grew until I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't know what to say to her...

"Hey." I said nonchalantly. I would have to play it cool if I didn't want to make a fool out of myself.

I heard a short gasp.

"What did she say? That girl looks surprised." I heard Minato say.

"We should go over and check it out." Akihiko suggested.

"You are..." The girl turned around. Minato and the others approached us. I caught her face.

My scanners didn't fail to recognize it in an instant. Of course... why didn't I notice it before when I was walking up here!?

"Initiating evasive maneuver. Confirmation must be made at a safe location." The girl jumped over our heads and ran into the jungle. I wasted no time in pushing the boys aside and chasing her.

"Wait!" I cried out. "Labrys, wait!"


	14. Labrys

After a long run through the jungle, I found myself in front of a giant tree. I found an odd figure behind a sign.

"Hiding efficiently, I see." I mocked, approaching the figure. It was obviously the girl that I encountered earlier. Labrys. "So you were the one watching me, eh? I really don't take to kindly to that, you know."

"I am certain. It is you." Labrys walked away from the sign that she was oh so expertly hiding behind. Labrys ran over to me and put her hands on my shoulders. "My highest priority is to be with you!"

"WHAT!?" I heard Junpei yell. What a time to come up to us...

"What's even going on...? She didn't say anything to her!" Akihiko said. "She's not even a-"

"Don't finish that, Senpai!" I warned.

Even the girls walked up to see what had happened to us to make us yell. Yukari gasped and dropped her things.

"There you guys are! What are you doing here!? We've been looking all over for you!" Yukari yelled.

"What are you guys doing in your swimsuits in the middle of the jungle?" Fuuka asked.

"There's no time! We have to prepare for heavy combat-" Mitsuru said.

"I don't think that will be necessary. We've found what we were looking for." Ikutsuki walked up behind us. "You had me worried. You know that you're not supposed to leave the lab without strict permission, Labrys."

"What's Labrys?" Junpei asked.

"The name of the weapon you dummy!" Yukari scolded.

"She's not just a weapon!" I snapped at her. Even though I knew that it wasn't her fault for saying it like that, it still angered me.

"Oh... I'm sorry, Aigis... I forgot..." Yukari said. "You're the same as her, right?"

"We should get back to the lab. There's something that I found that I need to show you all."

* * *

"I understand that Mitsuru has told you the story." We were sitting face to face with Mitsuru's father. The man was a scary looking man, but I could feel that he meant well. He had a powerful air about him. After all, he was the head of the Kirijo Company. "So let's get straight to it. We found a video recording. You deserve to see it."

He took out a remote and turned on a titanic flat screen.

"I pray that this recording reaches safe hands..."

"That voice!" Both me and Yukari yelled.

"You know that voice, too?" Yukari asked with an angry look on her face. That was the voice of Yukari's father, who was also partially my creator along with Ikutsuki. I would consider him to be more of a father than Ikutsuki.

"My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. This experiment should have never even been conceived... I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster... But if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price..." The man on the video tape said.

"What does he mean by the entire world!?" Junpei asked.

"Please, listen carefully... The Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you must eliminate all of them! I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success... And so, I didn't raise any objections... It is all my fault..." The man continued to say.

The tape ended. Yukari stood up.

"Dad..." She said.

"You mean that that guy was your...?" Minato asked.

"Father..." Mitsuru said.

"His name was Eiichiro Takeba. He was the head researcher at the time... he was a very talented man. We are the ones who are responsible. We pushed him to the limits to continue that damned research... we are to blame for his death."

"So that means that my dad caused it all!? The Dark Hour!? Tartarus!?" Yukari yelled. "You kept that all a secret from me because you felt sorry for me, huh!? Is that it!?" She ran out of the mansion with her head in her hands. I could only guess that she was crying.

The room hung in silence. I got up and followed her outside. That man was, to an extent, my father, too.

* * *

I found her standing out on the beach. She looked pained by the sudden information. I don't blame her.

"I believed in him for so long... This is too much..." Yukari said.

"Just speak what's on your mind, Yukari." I said. "I'll be here to listen."

"I kept telling myself it wasn't his fault. I loved him a lot, and I believed he'd never do anything wrong. I received a letter back in the spring. It was from him, written ten years ago... It cracked me up because, even though it said "To my family," it was pretty much all about me. That only made me believe in him more... When I found out I had a special power, I thought it was fate. I was scared, but I thought if I cooperated with the Kirijo Group, I might find out what really happened. That's why I agreed to fight using my Persona. But, it turns out... all of that was for nothing..."

"Don't say that it was all for nothing. You met Minato, Junpei, Akihiko, Mitsuru and Fuuka. They're your friends, right?" I said. I left myself out because I knew that Yukari hates me.

"Why does reality have to be so harsh...? I tried so hard to fight my fear, and this is what I get... Maybe I'm just jealous of Mitsuru-senpai. I mean, why my father and not hers...? Haha... I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

"Everyone thinks that at first. Sometimes I wish that Ikutsuki died in that lab incident and that Eiichiro was still alive." I said.

"Hmph. Well, you're just Little Miss Perfect aren't you!? Nothing ever fazes you. And now, you've got the nerve to try and tell me how to feel!? You think you know me!? You don't know anything!" Yukari yelled. She paused for a while. "I'm sorry... My head's a mess... I'm so afraid... I don't know what to do anymore... I'm totally lost... Tell me... What should I do...?"

"Don't lose hope in what you believe in." I said.

"Ya know, you really are one-of-a-kind. ...I'm sorry for acting like this. But, I'm alright now... I'm used to dealing with stressful situations. Anyway, thanks for listening. Lemme guess... Senpai asked you to bring me back, right?" Yukari asked.

"I came of my own accord." I said.

"Hey, Aigis... I want to talk with you about something before we go back in." Yukari said.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Earlier on, you said that I should be glad that I met everyone and said that everyone was my friend, but you left yourself out purposefully, didn't you? Why?"

"You don't like me." I said.

"Aigis..." Yukari looked at me with a hurt expression on her face.

"...I'm not 'real', right? I'm not a 'real' person. I'm just a robot that's made to act like a human being. Something uncanny that doesn't belong. I don't belong in anyone's group of friends, right? After all, I'm just a machine that follows orders and has scripts that tells her what to feel." I said.

"Why would you ever think that you're not a real person!?" Yukari yelled, her face contorting in anger. Why was she angry when she knew that I was saying the truth? "Everyone really likes you! Akihiko enjoys your company, Junpei says that you're like a sister to him, you're dating Minato! ...Oh. I think I get it. I said something, didn't I? It was that remark about that girl that had the silver hair. Not just that, either. You overheard me when I told Minato that he should go out with a 'real' girl, didn't you?"

"Yes..." I nodded.

"Aigis... I'm so... so... so sorry... I didn't know that it hurt you that bad... I would have never said anything like that ever again! Aigis... please, believe me when I tell you, you're a real person! I told you before that everyone likes you... myself included, however much you may doubt it."

She was right... I was acting irrationally. There was something wrong with my systems? Or... no. This is how a real person should act, isn't it? The ability to feel... something that robots don't have. I have that gift. I cross the border between robot and human.

"Yukari... thanks." I said. Through her kind words to me, I felt our bond grow tighter.

"Alert. The Dark Hour approaches in five minutes. It is highly suggested that you both come inside." I heard Labrys walk up to us.

"Huh...? Oh yeah! That girl..." Yukari said.

* * *

"Well, it's time that I introduce you to someone." Ikutsuki said. We had all went back in. He grabbed Labrys and pulled him in front of him with a large smile on his face. "This is Labrys. She's a robot."

"I am Anti-Shadow Weapon Generation Five Labrys. My mission is to defeat Shadows. I have been assigned to SEES effective immediately." Labrys said.

"Way to use your full name, Labrys. Talk about threatening..." I commented.

"Well, "Perfected Anti-Shadow Weapon Ultimate Generation Omega Aigis", It's shorter than yours." Ikutsuki said with a smirk.

"Shut up..." I groaned.

"Wow... she's cute... but she's a robot..." Junpei said. "No offense, Aigis! You look better, anyway."

"I dunno... kinda like Labrys more." Akihiko said.

"Can we not get into an argument about this!?" I asked irritably.

"Anti-Shadow Weapons were made to combat Shadows. Labrys is an old one, but she was a good one... that she was, that she was..." Ikutsuki smiled nostalgically. "You could say that she and Aigis are the last ones, although Aigis was the last one ever made. I still have baby pictures..."

"NO!" I screamed.

"Calm down, Aigis!" Ikutsuki smiled at me.

"I am capable of operating the Persona "Ariadne"." Labrys said.

"You were lookin' real friendly with Ai-chan..." Minato noted.

"Yes. It is very important for me to be by her side at all times." Labrys said. God... was I this embarrassing to Minato?

"Hmm... Perhaps her identification system is malfunctioning... Or maybe she's still half-asleep... This is quite interesting... Hmm... Well, I can ponder this later. Oh, I forgot to tell you all... You can participate in a wide range of recreational activities here. There's a tennis court, a pool table... even a karaoke machine. Would you care to hear me sing?" Ikutsuki asked. My eye twitched. Ikutsuki was not one for singing. Memories of him singing were still implanted in my mind. It was like some kind of virus. I couldn't delete them. As much as I wanted to, those memories would not delete.

* * *

Today was the last day that we would be at Yakushima. It was a good trip, I had to say. A lot of things happened. That little game that the boys were playing, for instance. That reminds me, I have to remind Minato of something. I found him about to go into the water.

"Minato, you did burn them, right?" I asked.

"Burned what, Aigis?" He asked.

"Playing dumb, huh? Those numbers that you picked up from the chicks yesterday during your "Operation Babe Hunt"." I said.

"Oh, those!" Minato said. "I was saving them for you because I knew that you would want to do the honors." Minato pulled out two other slips of paper.

"You know just what I love, don't you, Minato?" I asked. He put them on the ground near the water. I shot so many holes into them that you wouldn't know that it was a piece of paper after I was done.

"Hey you two, stop attempting to kiss each other and get in the water! It's our last day in here!" Junpei yelled. I'd LOVE to kiss Minato... but that would have to wait until the time was right. All I could do now was keep telling him that I loved him and cling to his arm all day.

We spent our last day at Yakushima having a fun time in the water. Although Junpei kept on questioning Labrys about if she was available. She had no idea what that meant, though.

* * *

"Good morning! Please wake up." I opened my eyes to see Labrys looming over me. I gasped.

"Mission accomplished." She said.

"What do you mean "Mission Accomplished?" You only accomplished waking me up during the morning. I hate mornings." I said.

"The paper on the wall of your room says "Do things five minutes early." Therefore, I woke you up five minutes prior to the triggering of your alarm clock." Labrys said.

"Hey, Aigis! That girl isn't anywhere! Can you help us!?" Yukari knocked on the door.

"I am not a girl. I am Labrys. I am also here." Labrys responded. Yukari opened the door hastily.

"How did you get in here!?" Yukari asked.

"She was resting, so I unlocked the door with the key I acquired from the 4th floor." Labrys responded.

"That's the emergency key!" I said. "You need to put that back! And plus, that's unlawful entry! We told you to stay at the command room, right?"

"I propose to be on standby in this room from now on." Labrys said.

"What the hell...!? That's against dorm regulations!" Yukari yelled.

"Wait, Yukari. Labrys does have a point. How are we going to afford more of the things that are used to preserve me?" I asked. "She should stay in here because we wouldn't have to go out and buy the-now out of stock-equipment for an Anti-Shadow Weapon. Also, can you get Minato? He needs to do a check-up on me."

"You're right..." Yukari said. "Alright, I'll get Minato."

"I can preform the check up on you." Labrys turned to me.

"No... this is something that only Minato does." I said.

"Why can I not do it?" Labrys asked.

"Because you're female!" I said. "It's awkward! Plus, Minato wants to learn more about machines, so he uses me as a perfect opportunity."

"I do not agree. I am an Anti-Shadow Weapon and therefore I know your body better than he does." Labrys said.

"I'm the most complex machine that you've ever seen, Labrys! You can't understand my inner workings!"

"Why do you look human? You are an Anti-Shadow Weapon, no?" Labrys asked.

"Functions, Labrys. Functions. I have a 'Blend-in' function, if you will." I said.

"So you switch between a robot and human at will? Highly convenient. I must acquire this ability as well." Labrys said.

"Aigis, you need a check-up?" Minato asked, swinging by the door into my room.

"Alert." Labrys said. "Preparing defensive maneuvers."

"No, Labrys... calm down! This is Minato Arisato. He's my boyfriend and he's a good person. You don't need to be afraid of him." What you should be doing is hunting Ryoji down when he gets here.

"Alert rescinded." Labrys stated. I wondered why she wasn't talking like she normally did... but then I remembered. Just because she talked like that when everything was normal before I went through with this doesn't mean that everyone is going to be the same. Shinjiro stopped taking those pills of his and Minato's starting to be happy a lot early than when he did the last time. She still spoke in that cute accent of hers though.

Wait a second. If Labrys replaces my position, and I'm technically in the same position as Minato, then is Labrys... going to fall in love with me the way I fell in love with Minato...?

A sense of dread overtook me. I was not... I like men! How would I respond to this if that was the case!

Labrys still hasn't left yet.

"Labrys, get out of my room!" I yelled.

"Correction: this is our room." Labrys said.

"JUST LEAVE THE ROOM, OKAY!?" I shouted.

"Affirmative. I will do as commanded."

I was like this. _I_ was like _this_.

Big contrast, I'd say.

Labrys finally left the room and Minato started his check up on me.

* * *

"Man, those freaks with Apathy Syndrome are really ticking me off, you know? I mean "The Lost." But, still... I know it's not their fault, but I just hope that it ends soon, you know?" Junpei asked.

"In two weeks the moon will be full." Labrys stated.

"Is all that you ever think about killing Shadows?" Akihiko asked.

"It is my second most highest priority. My highest is being by her side." Labrys said.

"Aigis, you sure you're not a-" Junpei started with a smirk.

"Finish it and get bullet holes." I glared at Junpei.

"There are six Shadows that remain." Mitsuru said. "Once we defeat them, then Apathy Syndrome and everything about the Dark Hour will disappear."

"Dude!" Junpei smiled widely. "Summer Break starts tomorrow! It's time to go meet some hotties, you know what I'm saying? But Yukari, Fuuka and Mitsuru-senpai aren't too bad themselves, huh? We're pretty lucky in this dorm. Which one's your type?"

"If the answer is anything other than me he'll be a dead man." I warned.

"Damn Ai-chan! You're scary when he's involved in anything that has to do with other girls!" Junpei said.

"But of course! I stay loyal to my lover, so I expect the same!" I said.

"Don't worry, Ai-chan... I was going to say that you were my type." Minato said.

"Really!?" I smiled widely and hugged him tightly.

"That response is what is known as a "glomp," correct?" Labrys asked.

"Where are you hearing that kind of vocabulary?" Yukari asked.

"From the television shows that you watch regularly." Labrys responded.

"You got me there..." Yukari groaned.

* * *

Life with someone like Labrys in the dorm was... interesting to say the least. I walked downstairs in the morning and saw her standing at the kitchen. She looked like she was talking to someone, but the others were at the table. Junpei was cackling like a madman, while Akihiko was staring at her dumbfounded. Minato was smiling to himself, and the other girls were looking at her with confused looks on their faces.

"What's going on?" I asked. "What are you all staring at?"

"You... know how robots work, right?" Minato asked. "Can you get her away from that thing so Junpei can breath?" I walked over to see what Labrys was doing that was so funny to Junpei.

"Yes, I believe that you are my greatest ally as well." Labrys said. I heard a sound that was very familiar. "Oh! You have released bread!"

"Labrys." I said. "Labrys please." I stared at her for a few seconds before falling to the floor laughing myself.

She was having a conversation, of all things, with the damned toaster.

This was gonna be a good year.


	15. Days of Summer

I sat on my bed upright. I couldn't get to sleep, for some odd reason. I looked at the clock. In a few seconds the Dark Hour would hit. I decided to wait for the Dark Hour to end and then I would try to force myself to sleep. As the Dark Hour hit, I felt another presence enter the room other than Labrys and I.

"Hello." I heard a voice say. I turned around and saw a girl with a red visor over her face. There was no mistake, this girl was a robot. I could see the joints on her body. She was oddly designed...

"You..." I recognized the girl, though.

"Sister... I've finally found you!" The black haired girl smiled at me. "Is there something wrong, Sister?" She asked. "You don't look too good!"

"I haven't been getting to sleep, Metis." I said. Metis was my suppressed feelings. She was my Shadow.

"That's pretty bad..." She said. "What's keeping you up at night, Sister?"

"You're my Shadow, right? You can tell." I said.

"Well..." Metis looked down. "I just came to tell you about the full moon that's approaching. There's going to be two big ones this time, so watch out, okay?"

"Sure." I responded. I really didn't know how to speak with that girl. It was an odd experience, that's for sure. Metis left after giving me that piece of information, and with her departure, the Dark Hour ended. Labrys had woken up during the night, it seemed.

"Unidentified presence in the room." Labrys said. She looked at me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Labrys. Go back to bed." I said.

"A Shadow was detected during the Dark Hour. Thirteen minutes and twenty two seconds in." Labrys stated.

"It's fine, Labrys. I dealt with it. Go back to bed." I said.

* * *

"Aigis... I must speak to you about something." Ikutsuki stopped me as I was walking outside.

"What do you need to talk about, Ikutsuki?" I asked. I didn't want to waste any time with him. Right now I wanted to prepare for the full moon that was approaching.

"That night... at Shirakawa Boulevard... Fuuka tells me that something odd happened, and Junpei won't say a word about it. I wanted to know... was there a third Shadow?" Ikutsuki asked. I sat down on the couch next to him. I could tell that we were going to be talking for a while.

"...Yes." I responded. I didn't know if it was a good idea to talk to him about the Shadows that lurked inside of everyone, but if I didn't everyone would most likely turn against me thinking that I knew something that they didn't. I couldn't afford that. I couldn't afford our team to break up again... not like what happened in the Abyss of Time.

"This Shadow... from the way Junpei was acting when I asked him about it... it's not normal, is it? It's a special kind of Shadow, similar to those that we are fighting during the full moons." Ikutsuki said.

"No... it's not a normal Shadow. It's a Shadow that has sentience. They are special in the fact that they are born from feelings that we hide about ourselves, wanting to get out. Sometimes they are benign, and won't harm a thing..." I thought about Metis. "Other times, they are evil, malicious beings that are only there to hinder you. The Shadow that we encountered that night was such a thing." I thought about the Shadow that was appearing sometimes during the Dark Hour in Tartarus came to mind. The Shadow that tortured me with the same visage as mine. There, however, was no doubt that it was my Shadow. But then a question arose. How could I have two Shadows...? Unless...

I decided not to think about it and push it to the back of my mind. It was something that I would have to address later.

"These Shadows must be as dangerous or more dangerous than the Shadows that appear during full moons... If you see one I want you to destroy it instantly." Ikutsuki said.

"Isn't that what I always do?" I asked. Ikutsuki got up from his seat and walked away, going upstairs to the meeting room. He was muttering something about what I said being 'fascinating.' What kind of things is he going to do with that kind of information?

"Aigis." I heard Minato say. I turned around and saw Minato standing behind me.

"What do you need Minato?" I asked. He usually didn't come up to talk to me during Sundays. He usually was out doing whatever it was he was doing.

"Since the full moon is coming up... I was thinking back to the last one. I remembered that even you were having a hard time with Junpei's Shadow when it appeared... I wanted to ask if me and you could train together so that we can get stronger and handle whatever's going to come up next." Minato suggested.

"...Well, alright." I said. There was no way that we could summon our Personas out of the Dark Hour. So until the Dark Hour we would have to train physically.

"Follow me. I found the perfect spot for all of this." Minato said.

* * *

Minato had led me to a hill that overlooked the city. I wondered where he found this place... he's not the one for such beautiful scenery. Maybe I was having an effect on him.

"This place is beautiful..." I stated, gazing at the lone tree in the center of the hill. If I looked hard enough, I could see the dorm from here. You could see anywhere in Iwatodai on this hill. Minato smiled at me.

"I knew that you would like this place, Aigis. That's why I brought you here." He said. "Now then... I wanted to get to know how to beat an Anti-Shadow Weapon."

"...What...?" I asked. What was he talking about? I mean, I'm an Anti-Shadow Weapon and all, but why the sudden need to know how to defeat one? Why did he want to defeat one?

"I... didn't have a good dream last night. And plus, that little boy who was talking to me said that there's going to be a time coming up where I need to know how to defeat the undefeatable. I consider you to be undefeatable... so... here we are."

"What was your dream about, Minato? You can trust me. I have bad dreams all the time." I said.

"Well, it was about you. Although something was very different about you." Minato said. That's something that I didn't want to hear. I could only tell what his dream was about now.

"Go on..." I said.

"Well, you were attacking everyone... and we were all powerless to stop you. I want to be able to be strong enough to stop you in case something happens that makes you like that. Think of it as my way of protecting you, Aigis." Minato said.

"Minato... what are you trying to say...?" A small smile spread across my face.

"I'm saying... that I want to protect you, Aigis." Minato said. "You're really, really, really important to me."

"Oh, Minato... You can be really romantic when you want to be..." I said.

"Now's not the time for romance, Aigis." Minato said. "Now teach me how to beat you!"

"That's really not the most threatening thing to say..." I said. "But alright... let's get started." Minato drew his sword and charged at me. His blade stopped as soon as it hit me.

"Really?" He asked in disbelief.

"What did you think?" I responded, punching him away. "Made of titanium, Minato."

"So how do I even deal damage if your body takes it like a tank?" Minato asked.

"Simple. You can't defeat an Anti-Shadow weapon with strength alone." I said.

"Are you implying that it's impossible to defeat an Anti-Shadow weapon outside of the Dark Hour where we can use Personas? But even then, when we get to use our Personas, you get more dangerous..."

"Well, fight me and find a way to get in and defeat me, Minato. It is possible." I said. "But I'll say one thing... it won't be easy."

"Is that a challenge?" Minato smirked.

"You bet it is." I responded. "Show me what you're made of, Minato!"

Minato ran towards me with his sword again. He was about to make a slash at my head, but I ducked underneath of it and swiped his legs. He fell to the ground and I grabbed him and lifted him over me. I came down with a suplex and backed away to let him get some time to get up.

"Damn..." Minato swore. "Alright... so from what I'm picking up, swords don't work, and if I try to go after you head-on, then it's going to get me hurt. Bad. So then..." Minato threw his sword to the ground and assumed a fighting stance. "We'll just have to try it like this."

Minato waited for my next move, however, I didn't budge at all. I was the one who was going to wait for him to make his move. Minato came after me again after realizing that I wasn't going to make the first move. He threw his fist at me. Grabbing it in my hand, I started to squeeze it. Minato started to scream in pain.

I immediately let go. Minato fell to the floor.

"Oh my God! Are you okay!?" I asked hurriedly, kneeling over him.

"Holy shit... that hurt..." Minato commented. I didn't know how that happened... but I must have went into my fighting instincts and hurt Minato very badly. Wasn't my main goal protecting him anyway? What good of a protecter was I if I hurt the one that I was supposed to protect?

"We're done for the day." I said. "This is why you don't fight a robot trained to kill."

"Aigis..." Minato groaned. "I think I found it out."

"What?"

"How to beat you." Minato said. "You're afraid of hurting me, so if I stand in the way of you you won't attack me. You weren't designed to kill, you were designed to protect. So you're not going to hurt me if I stand in the way of you. I know it."

"Yeah." I said. "I guess you're right on that. The sun's setting, let's go back to the dorm."

* * *

Yukari had pulled me away from the dorm in a hurry to go shopping with her. Just what was she going to buy that was so important that she had to pull ME of all people, who hates shopping, with her.

"Why did you bring me here, Yukari?" I asked. "There must be something that is really important going on for you to drag me here, because you know I don't like going shopping..."

"Don't worry, Aigis! I brought you here because I'm getting you prepared for the summer!" Yukari beamed. "We're going to get all sorts of cute outfits for you and everything!"

Yukari grabbed my hand again and pulled me along with her into a random clothing store that I couldn't see the name of. She started browsing for shirts and other assortments of clothes that would "look good on me."

"Oooh! This'll look amazing on you!" She held a pink shirt up to me that had some sort of crazy design on it.

"I don't do pink." I responded. Yukari, not listening to me, thrust the shirt into my hands anyway. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Guess I would have to have at least something that isn't black...

Keeping what Minato had told me in mind, I had horded shirts and skirts alike that were black. He said that I looked good in black.

"We should get you earrings too!" Yukari smiled widely, pulling me away yet again. At least she remembered to pay for the clothing that she got me.

* * *

"Hello." Once again I found myself being woken up by Labrys, who was once again hovering over me.

"Good morning, Labrys." I said. "Didn't I tell you to stop waking me up like that because it's creepy?"

"Would you also like for me to stop sleeping underneath your bed?" Labrys asked.

"You... you sleep under my bed?" I felt... violated.

"I heard that they were showing something called a "movie" at theaters. By sitting downstairs and observing our comrades, I have found that movies are very enjoyable." Labrys said. "Would you like to take me to see a movie?"

We were interrupted by a very loud and rapid knocking on the door.

"Aigis! It's out!" Minato's voice yelled. "That movie that you wanted to see with me is out! Let's go!"

"I understand if you do not want to go with me." Labrys said.

"No, no. Labrys, you're coming with us. You just need to have something to conceal your... machine parts. Wear my school uniform." I handed her the uniform and walked out the door with her.

"Labrys is coming with us, if you don't mind. She wanted to see what a movie was."

"I'm fine with it." Minato said. "She's not hurting anyone."

"Hey Minato..." I asked. "By "The movie that you wanted to see," did you mean the Ninja movie!?"

"Yep." Minato nodded. "I knew how much you loved ninjas, so I'll go take you to see the new movie."

We went to the movie theater and lined up to see the movie. I was dreading the concession stand because of Labrys, but with Minato's guidance it all went well.

"Really, she's like a little kid..." Minato commented as we sat down to watch the movie. He decided to make some small talk while we were waiting for it to play.

"Yeah. I was like this too, once." I reminded him. "So I understand what she's going through. Don't be mean when you're explaining things to her, okay?"

"I know that Junpei really likes her. Apparently she's been helping him cheat on his homework." Minato explained.

"I wonder how Mitsuru hasn't caught him yet..." I said.

"He's probably got his methods. Am I going to expect you to cling to me sometime during this movie when something bad happens to the protagonist?" Minato asked.

"Are you some kind of idiot? Of course!" I smiled at him. The movie started, and everyone grew silent.

* * *

"I'm... amazed." Minato said after the movie was over. "I have never felt that much physical contact in a while now. And are you crying...?"

"That was the greatest finale to a movie ever!" I yelled out.

"I have observed that ninjas are highly ranked in society. Is it alright if I call you my ninja?" Labrys asked.

"Minato-ninja...?" Minato asked himself. "I'm gonna have to go with no, although I bet Aigis'd jump at the chance."

"I'll pass too, actually... doesn't feel right." I said.

Thinking about it, something really didn't feel right in general. It felt like something was going to happen today, and since today was the full moon, then there was something that was obviously going to happen. I just want to know what.

I guess this is a problem that will deal with itself when the time comes. I think that I might actually skip out on the operation tonight. All three of us started to walk home together, talking about what we were going to do for the rest of Summer break.


	16. Strega

When I got back into the dorm, everyone went their separate ways until the Dark Hour would come. We were all prepared for the Shadow that would appear tonight, but the odd thing was that I didn't feel too good about this operation. Believe me, we need to eradicate the Shadows, but there was something off about today. It didn't feel right. Was I scared about something? That wasn't something that a leader would feel! Another thing that was bugging me was how I was appointed the leader. Did I really have the qualities of a leader? I'd say that Minato would make a better leader than me. Just as I was thinking about him he came up to me.

"Aigis, you aren't feeling up to the operation today are you? I'll take up the torch for leader for you if you want." He said.

"You would do that? Thanks Minato. I was wondering... could you take up that position from now on? I want you to be the leader. You have better qualities than me for leader." I said.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Definitely." I smiled at him and nodded.

"Well then... I'll go tell everyone else." Minato said. He left to go upstairs and I went into my room. I was just going to sleep until the Dark Hour.

* * *

The Dark Hour hit. No one seemed to come for me to go on the mission so I assumed that Minato had informed them that I wouldn't be participating.

After I was sure that they all had left, I decided to walk downstairs and outside of the dorm. There was something going on, and I was going to find out. Something bad was going to happen today, I could feel it. Luckily, I had got past Fuuka without her knowing. If I was right, we were about ten minutes into the Dark Hour. That means that the team would be fighting off a Shadow soon and that I had fifty minutes. I really didn't know what I was out looking for. Maybe I just didn't want to go on the mission and my mind was playing a trick on me to make me feel bad.

No, that couldn't be it.

"My my... what do we have here...?" I heard a voice ask. Now I knew why I had a bad feeling about this. That voice sounded incredibly familiar. I turned around to be greeted with the face of a pale young man. He was shirtless, and wore torn jeans. His belt was loose and he had a revolver at his hip. He flipped his long silver hair that went down his back to the side, putting it out of his face so that he could see me better. His gleaming yellow eyes looked into mine as he walked towards me. I noticed that he had a complete sleeve of tatoos on both his arms.

"You... look exactly like her, but you're not." He said. "You must be her other self."

"What are you talking about?" I asked warily. I looked just like who? Could he be talking about my Shadow?

"Oh, how impolite of me to not introduce myself. I am Takaya. What is your name?" He asked. Out of politeness, I responded.

"My name is Aigis." I said.

"Oh, the same name as her too! I don't doubt it! You are the other self of our queen." Takaya said.

"What do you mean, "your queen"? What the hell is going on here?" I asked.

"It's simple. You are the other side of our leader." Takaya explained. "Truly remarkable... I didn't think she was telling the truth at first when she told us... but now that I came to see if she was right or not, I'm glad that I did. This is truly interesting... so there are other sides to people after all..."

"Are you going to cut to the chase and tell me what you want?" I asked.

"Why... it's simple. Our queen has sent me to deal with your pesky little friends so that they don't get involved with our plans." Takaya explained. "But of course, telling you this will make you enraged. You will want to stop me, correct?"

"You're damned right, you freak of nature!" I yelled, backing away and getting ready for combat. I knew how Takaya fought. He was the leader of Strega. Cunning and wise, but also a little weasel. If he was going to kill my friends, then I would fight back. He knew that it would rile me up, so I had to calm down.

But just the thought of anything at all hurting Minato made me enraged. He was a devious little bastard...

"Aigis!" I heard someone yell. I turned around to see Akihiko and Mitsuru running up to me.

"What are you guys doing here!? Shouldn't you be fighting that Shadow!?" I asked. Did Minato tell them that I was probably going to go outside tonight? I had to admit, Minato was a very good thinker.

"Minato knew that you were going to try to do something like this, so he sent us after you. Who's this creep?" Akihiko asked.

"I am Takaya Sakaki." Takaya said. He took his sword out of his pants and pointed it at us. "I am the leader of Strega."

"What is Strega?" Mitsuru asked.

"That's for you to find out, woman. Right now our goal is to kill you and prevent you from getting any further. It's time for the show to begin, isn't it?" Takaya asked.

If he was really going to hurt Minato and the others, then I would show no mercy. Not to scum like him. He deserved to die.

"...I'll give you ten minutes to decide." I said. "Which would you rather end up in... a coffin or a dumpster?"

"I should be asking that question to you..." Takaya growled. "Hypnos!" He fell to his knees from the sheer power needed to force out his Persona.

"A Persona!" Mitsuru announced, surprised at the fact that there were other people that could summon Personas. A wave of flames flowed from beneath Takaya's feet. I pushed Mitsuru out of the way before it hit her. She was sensitive to fire, just as I was sensitive to electricity. Takaya was aiming for our weaknesses, that was for sure.

"Polydeuces!" Akihiko yelled. Electricity shot out of his Persona's hand and into Takaya. Athena slashed at Takaya with her saber before I commanded her to launch herself into him. Mitsuru's Persona spun around once and fired ice out of its sword towards him.

"You're good... I can tell that much. It won't be easy taking you down... but if it's the will of our master, then it's the will of us as well! This is farewell, SEES!" Takaya laughed. "Megidolaon!"

My eyes widened as I heard those words come out of his mouth. A purple ball of pure energy crashed down onto the ground like a bomb. We were all swept aside from the blast and knocked down to the floor. My leg motor drives were failing me, and I could see that Akihiko and Mitsuru were struggling to get up.

"I can see that this was much easier than expected. Maybe I should have prolonged the fight more so that I could enjoy killing you." Takaya said. "Well, it seems that you're the one who's going to end up in the coffin. So, I reiterate what you just said. Which would you rather end up in... a coffin, or a dumpster? I'll give you ten minutes to decide."

"No..." I heard Akihiko mutter. I turned back to see him crawling towards Takaya. "I made a promise... to protect Aigis... and I'm not going to go back on that promise."

"Akihiko-senpai..." I said.

"Save your breath."

That wasn't a voice that belonged to any of us.

"You can't do anything the way you are now. Let me handle this." A man wearing a long, red coat walked up to us. He was wearing a black beanie that held his brown hair down. His cold, piercing eyes glared at Takaya. "I'm not going to stand by and let you hurt my friend. Not while I'm still standing."

"Sh-Shinji!?" Akihiko yelled.

"Shinjiro?" Mitsuru asked.

Shinjiro held a giant hammer over his shoulders.

"What do you have to say for yourself before you get your ass kicked?" Shinjiro asked.

"What makes you think that you'll be able to defeat me, you lowly worm?" Takaya asked cockily. "Whatever... I'll leave you off the hook for now. You're lucky that the Dark Hour is almost over..." Takaya started to run away.

"Wait! Come back you coward!" Shinjiro yelled. He realized that he wasn't going to get through to him, so he swore in frustration.

"H-Hello...? Can you hear me?" I heard Fuuka ask in my mind. "Are you okay?"

The damage was too heavy. I couldn't move. My systems were already starting to proceed with it's auto-repair function. Akihiko and Mitsuru were out cold. The only one left was Shinjiro.

"I can hear you loud and clear. Who are you?" Shinjiro asked.

"W-Who are you...?" Fuuka asked.

"I'm Shinjiro Aragaki. A friend of Aki's. He's in some deep shit. Him, Mitsuru, and that blonde girl that's with him. You'd probably do best to send someone after them. I can't carry all three of them back to the dorm."

"Oh... okay... I'm sending everyone else now." Fuuka said.

"You're the only one who's awake, right? You don't look like you can move." Shinjiro asked, turning to me.

"Yeah... I can't move at all..." I said. "Thank you so much for helping us..."

"Don't sweat it. You're lucky that I was on my way here." Shinjiro said. "I was coming to talk about rejoining your little group."

That's right! Shinjiro was one of the oringinal SEES members! Someone as skilled as him would be a powerful asset to the team. Shinjiro picked me up off the ground and waited for everyone else to arrive. After some explaining, we went back to the dorm.

* * *

"You really can't move at all, can you?" Minato asked. "What happened to you?"

"I got hit with a powerful blast. Me, Akihiko and Mitsuru." I responded. "I can't move because my motor drives are being repaired. No movement for me... I've estimated the time to be three days until they're fully repaired."

Minato smiled deviously. "So that means..." He reached behind me.

"You wouldn't..." I said.

"I would." Minato touched the back of my neck. He stroked it rubbed his hand all over it.

"Minato, s-stop!" I commanded. "At least wait until I can move again so I have a fighting chance!"

"No! You're just going to kick my ass! This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I'm not missing out on it." Minato said. "Mitsuru's in the back explaining to everyone about that whole "Strega" group that that creep who tired to hurt you was talking about. I heard that you were ready to kill him because he was talking about me."

"Yeah..." I said. Minato finally stopped rubbing the back of my neck. Damn that fragile spot... why did I have to be programmed to make sexual noises when it gets touched!?

"You know, if our positions were reversed, I'd be doing the same thing to him." Minato said.

"You would?" I asked.

"Of course. If there's anything that I want to protect the most in this world, it's you." Minato said.

"What's this sudden change of feelings? Normally you just treat me a little bit differently, but to say that?" I asked. What was going on in that boy's mind?

"When I heard that you were badly hurt, I was devastated. I thought that I had lost you, that I wouldn't see you again. I didn't like that feeling. I wanted to go after that guy myself, but Junpei held me back. He told me that it wasn't a good idea to rush in recklessly like that because I would get myself killed. You know what I told him? I told him that I would risk my life for you and that I was going to follow him anyway. Yukari had slapped me, saying that I was thinking irrationally. I guess I was... But whenever I'm around you, I always think that way. I always have you has my highest priority, to borrow something that the other Anti-Shadow Weapon would say." Minato said.

"What are you trying to say, Minato...?" I asked.

"You make me feel so strange when I'm around you and you're flirting with me. I think I finally understand what that feeling is, Aigis." Minato said. He cupped my face in his hand.

"Aigis... I love you." He said. My heart stopped. He lowered his face. It got closer and closer to mine, and the more it came, the more my awareness to the world was dwindling. The only thing that I could see or think about was Minato. It was all about him.

I could feel his hands wrapping my limp body in a loving embrace. I was certain on what he was doing.

There was only one thing that I could feel. Minato's lips were on mine. My eyes widened at the sudden sensation, but I quickly adjusted to it. I closed my eyes as I returned the favor, kissing him. I couldn't feel anything else but Minato's lips.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" The both of us were startled, Minato throwing himself off of me and off the couch in general, hitting the floor on his way down. Junpei was standing there with his eyes widened. Labrys was also next to him.

"J-Junpei-kun!" I yelled. I couldn't turn to face him.

"...I'm speechless." Junpei said.

"It's not what it looks like!" Minato yelled, fearing for the worst. What was he going to do...?

"Dude... that was totally what it looked like. All I can say..." Junpei began. I shut my eyes tight, fearing for the verbal assault he was about to unleash. "IT'S ABOUT TIME!"

"Wha...?" Minato looked confused.

"I've been watching you two ever since you started going out! You two are absolutely perfect together, you know? Just the right amount of adorable. I was wondering when you two were going to kiss..." Junpei said.

"Kissing... a display of affection." Labrys said. "Kissing is only done with someone that you care for immensely, correct?"

"Yeah..." I said, trying to nod. My motor drives wouldn't let me.

"I would like to kiss you, Aigis. I care for you deeply." Labrys said.

"Uh, Labrys...? That's gonna be a no." Junpei said. "You see... you can't go around kissing people randomly because you care for them. You've only known Ai-chan for a month, anyway!"

An awkward silence hung in the room. I used that silence to think. From what I could gather so far, Strega was under the control of someone that they called their 'Queen'. Takaya might not be the leader anymore. But who's this 'Queen' person? Will she show herself? I already had bad feelings about who their Queen was, and it all pointed to my Shadow. The only thing that we can do now is just sit back and watch. We would have to keep killing the Arcana Shadows until something decisive happened. For now, we would have to lie in wait.

* * *

My motor drives were finally fully prepared. I was glad that it had fixed itself before school had reared it's ugly head at us, ending summer break. I was going to spend all the time that I had left with Minato.

I jumped out of bed with a happy smile on my face, running down into the dorm. I quickly spotted Minato. He gasped in surprise as I tackled him to the floor in a hug.

"Minato you jerk!" I yelled playfully. "You kiss me without me having the ability to do anything in return!"

"Aigis! Take it easy!" He laughed. "This is our last week of summer break..."

"Don't remind me..." Junpei groaned. "I didn't score with any hot babes this break... another failure for Junpei Iori..."

"Don't worry, Junpei. I'm sure that you'll find someone soon." Akihiko said. "You would have better luck than me, after all. You saw how I was when we were going to find some numbers. I was a bumbling mess... even with Aigis's advice."

"Oh, yeah! Did you hear, guys? Labrys will be joining us in school." Fuuka said. "Ikutsuki-san said that it would help her get more acquainted with society and help develop her personality. I never knew that you had to make your own personality, Aigis! It must be horrible... having nothing to call your own."

"I have to admit... sometimes human emotions are a bit worse than having none at all." I said, referring to when Minato died. It crushed me inside... to just receive the gift of humanity but then lose someone dear to you straight afterwards. I never want to feel that way ever again. I had held Minato a light tighter.

"Uh... you're kinda crushing my body, Aigis..." Minato said. I got up off of him and sat down on the couch. "Man... who knew that someone with such a frail look could be as strong as Akihiko! I bet you could beat him at his own game!"

"Let's not go there..." I said. "I don't wanna fight Akihiko-senpai anyway."

"But yeah, Labrys is joining us for school from now on. I think she'll be worked into your class, Aigis." Yukari said. "I hope she knows what she's doing..."

"It is my duty to be with Aigis. If I am not in the same class as her, I will work myself in there anyway." Labrys said.

"That's lovely... that really is..." I said, laughing nervously. The door opened, and in walked a man in a red coat. It was Shinjiro. He walked in along with Ikutsuki. Noticing everyone's scared looks, he scoffed.

"The hell are you lookin' at?" He asked.

"Well, for everybody who doesn't know, this is Shinjiro Aragaki. He's going to be joining SEES from today onward." Ikutsuki said. "I hope you all get along with him."

"Aki... don't let me down, okay?" Shinjiro asked. "I wanna see how strong you've become."

"I'll do my best, Shinji." Akihiko said. I could feel the tight bond that those two shared with each other. One day, I hoped to have my bond with Minato as strong as those two's.


	17. Chidori

"So, what class do you think your stalker's getting into?" Minato asked.

"Please... she's not stalking me, she's trying to defend me." I said. "But I do see where you're getting at. When I came home late she asked me where I was and what kind of people I was interacting with."

"She must really like you to be doing that to you." Minato said. He reached for my hand and grabbed it.

"Okay you two, save it for the dorm!" Junpei said.

"Alright, alright... can't I hold the hand of my girlfriend every once in a while?" Minato asked.

The room was silenced as the teacher, Ms. Toriumi, walked in. She had a fake smile on her face. She must have had to deal with someone who was a lot of trouble before she came in here if she's going to be faking a smile like that.

"Okay, we've got ourselves a new student..." She grumbled, gritting her teeth. "Please, everybody welcome Labrys... I hope you get along."

"Aw shit!" I groaned. I was hoping that she wasn't in the same class as me so she didn't do anything embarrassing to me. But I guess fate wanted to work against me today.

"You don't like it, Aigis? Well then, she can take the seat right next to you!" Toriumi said. I swear the God I was going to put a bullet hole in that bitch. This would be complete and total murder for me. She took her seat, in between me and Junpei, and then looked around. Afterwards, she smiled.

"This seat will be satisfactory." She said. I edged closer to Minato. Hopefully they consider Labrys as my sister and not some crazy stalker that follows me around all day.

* * *

Class ended, and I sat with Minato while we were packing up our stuff. Junpei left already saying that he had something to do, and Labrys was just... looking at me. Never doing anything else, just looking at me.

"Labrys, could you stop looking at me? It's creeping me out." I said.

"Negatory. I must keep watch of you at all times." Labrys said.

"Do you... do you watch me in my sleep?" I asked, generally frightened that I have, for the past month, been watched by Labrys while I slept like a baby.

"Affirmative." Labrys said. "I must ensure that you are safe and that you are able to wake up normally every day. I already replaced your alarm clock's function. I wake you up at four o'clock every morning."

"Jesus, Labrys! Take it easy on her! She doesn't have to wake up that early..." Minato said.

"I wanna go to Tartarus tonight." I whispered. I wanted to blow off some steam. The pressure of Labrys, keeping my grades up, and Strega was all too much for me. And to top that all off, my Shadow was running amok doing who-knows-what while Takaya and his gang of punks are worshiping the ground that she stands on.

"You know another full moon's coming up?" Minato asked. "Can't we just have a break once in a while and not have to worry about Shadows and all that?"

"If you wish to be rid of the Shadows you must destroy them all." Labrys said. "The full moon is on September 5th."

* * *

"Hey, Ai-chan." Junpei smiled at me as I walked by him at the station.

"Hi, Junpei-kun. Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"No, nothin's wrong." Junpei said. "It's all right!"

"You scored with someone?" I asked.

"Gee, I wish... no, I just wanted to talk with you about something serious." Junpei said. I sat down with next to him and gave him my full attention.

"So uh... sheesh... I'm no good at this... Well, I just want you to have this." Junpei handed me a hat that was just like his. It had "Number One" spelled out on it. "I, uh... found this lyin' around outside my house. You know, it's funny. I had gone back there because I was going somewhere and my house was along the way, but I saw that and I thought about what that impostor of me- no, that hidden side of me was saying. Number One... boy, I'd love to be that. Someday, though. You have to work hard for what you want, right? Well, starting today I'm going to work has hard as ever to help defeat the Shadows. I was a chicken for runnin' from my problems all the time. I plan to see my dad. Hey, uh... thanks for everything, Ai-chan. You're a real pal, you know? My Shadow was right on one thing: I was a coward that couldn't face that kind of stuff... but now I'm going to try my hardest to face everything head on. You and my Shadow helped me see that, and I gotta thank you, Ai-chan. You're like a little sister to me, so I ain't gonna let anything happen to you anymore. You tell me if you see that Takaya creep around and I'll kick his ass!"

"Aww... thanks Junpei!" I gave him a quick hug, which surprised him greatly. I guess he never got a hug from a girl before. "I'll wear it everyday!"

"Heh... don't forget to wash it off, first! Don't want your hair getting dirty!" Junpei warned.

"I won't forget! You said something about considering me as a little sister to you, huh? I'm sure that you'd make a great big brother." I said. "And I bet that you'll make an even better parent, too."

"It's gettin' late, Ai-chan. Let's head back to the dorm." Junpei suggested.

* * *

"You know, I expected that since he's at the dorm now that he should at least come down to talk to us..." Akihiko said.

"And talk about what?" Everyone turned around to see Shinjiro walking towards us.

"How do you do that!?" Minato asked.

"You have even eluded my sensors." Labrys said.

"I'm getting ready for the next full moon. We don't want to be weaker than the Shadow." Shinjiro said.

"How are you getting ready?" Akihiko asked. "There's nothing that we can do outside of the Dark Hour to prepare for Shadows.

"You got stuff in your room. And before you say anything about that, I ain't buyin' myself any of that." Shinjiro said.

"We were just saying how you should come down here more and talk to us." Akihiko said.

"Fine... I got nothin' better to do anyway." Shinjiro said.

"So, Senpai, what do you like to do in your spare time?" Fuuka asked.

"None of your business." Shinjiro said quickly. He looked down to his feet. I could swear his face was red.

It would be difficult to get that guy to crack.

* * *

The night of the full moon arrived, and Junpei was nowhere to be found.

"Where is that loser?" Yukari asked. "Doesn't he know that there's a full moon tonight!?" Fuuka started scanning for the Shadow to see where it was. I spent the time waiting by talking to Labrys.

"So, this marks your second full moon mission, doesn't it? How are you feeling about it? Those Shadows that appear are no joke." I said.

"There is no Shadow that can withstand my attacks. However, I am worried more about you. You were fatally injured in the battle against Takaya." Labrys said.

"Well, Takaya's different. He's not some feral beast. He's a human that can think rationally, and guess what someone's going to do next. He's not going to be some easy guy to take down. But Shadows are different. _They_ are the feral beasts, they don't have any rational thoughts. That's why we need to be more careful with Shadows. We can't play mind games on them." I said.

Labrys couldn't respond to that. I knew that there was almost no way for her to. She didn't have her human emotions yet. I would have to find a way to get them for her.

Fuuka dismissed her Persona and walked up to the group. She informed us that the Shadow was in Paulownia Mall. I wonder what that Shadow specialized in. Minato told me that the last ones were good at pierce attacks.

"I can't quite pinpoint it's location, but I'm trying to narrow it down." Fuuka announced. Mitsuru kicked the door to the command room down, and ran in along with that little boy, Ken. That's right! He was admitted into SEES too while I was fixing myself from that bad hit I suffered from Takaya.

"Did you find Iori!?" Mitsuru asked hurriedly. If Junpei wasn't here, then there was something wrong. Something terribly wrong.

"I can't find him anywhere..." Ken said.

"That idiot! He knows that tonight's the night!" Yukari yelled, irritated at Junpei's sudden disappearance. It worried me, too. Where could he be at a time like this, too? Didn't he know that tonight was the night? Or maybe... It's not a good feeling, but something involving Strega could have happened to him.

"Should we take the time to look for him?" Fuuka asked.

"No, no... it's okay. When you're a teenager you do start to get into one of those moods." Ikutsuki said. Now what the hell's that supposed to mean?

"There's no time to waste. We need to get moving now before the Dark Hour ends. That Shadow needs to get destroyed no matter what the cost." Mitsuru said. The rest of the team went outside, but Shinjiro stayed behind and caught my arm before I walked out with them. I turned to him with a look of confusion on my face. What did he want with me?

"Did he say anything before he left?" He asked.

"No, not that I remember." I responded.

* * *

We had all gathered around the mall. There was no sign of any Shadow in sight.

"Fuuka, can you find this Shadow?" Mitsuru asked.

"I... this Shadow is eluding me..." Fuuka said. "Wait a second... there's something underneath of us!"

"It must have something to do with the old power cables that are underground here." Labrys said.

"Power cables...?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yes, they are going in multiple directions like a web." Labrys informed. "From the information that I have gathered, the Shadow seems to have possessed the cables."

"I remember that I heard the manager at Escapade was having problems with the power. Maybe it's somewhere there." Shinjiro suggested. "The control panel is underneath the club, so we should check it out there."

We all ran into the club and immediately found the Shadow. It was some horrible shape made out of the cables. In the center of the mass of cables was a yellow eyeball. That must be the Shadow itself, or it's weak point.

"That's the source!" Fuuka cried out. "Make sure you don't get shocked by those cables!"

Oh no... did she say "shocked"? Oh no. This is bad. This is really, really bad.

"Minato... can I sit this out?" I asked.

"Why would you sit this out?" Minato asked. "Don't you want to defeat this thing? You haven't gotten a chance for a while now!"

"You know why, Minato!" I yelled.

"You..." Shinjiro said. "You're afraid, aren't you?" He turned to me. Not able to wait any longer, the rest of the team started to battle with the Shadow. As I had thought, it used electricity as its main means of hurting us. Every time a lighting bolt shot through one of the cables, I jumped and yelped.

"Electricity scares you, huh?" Shinjiro asked. I shrieked as a bolt of lighting almost hit me right in the face. If I hadn't ducked, then I would have been in serious trouble. Not only does thunder and lightning scare me, it's fatal to me.

"Y-Yeah..." I responded shakily. Shinjiro walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. He crouched down so that he was eye level with me. I felt like some kind of little kid that was being scolded by her parents. Not that I _had_ parents...

"Look, Aigis. Lightning and thunder really isn't something to be afraid of. I can understand the lighting part, but you have to realize that you probably have systems in you that protect you from electric shocks. You would have to, considering that you work with it everyday. The thunder part... well, thunder is just a loud noise, that's all. There's nothing to be afraid of, Aigis. You can go in there and you can fight that thing without being afraid. Just trust me. If anything, Minato would take that lightning bolt for you. That guy... he likes you. He likes you a lot. I doubt that if he's near, you're going to be hurt. Trust me. I might not seem like a trustworthy guy and all, but you can trust me." Shinjiro said. He patted my shoulder and ruffled my hair a little. "Junpei's right. You would make the perfect little sister."

"Th-thanks, Shinjiro-senpai..." I said. I turned to the Shadow with newly found confidence. I saw what Shinjiro was trying to say to me. There was no time to be scared! You gotta push through to the very end no matter what! I loaded my missiles and fired them at the Shadow.

"Hey ugly! Here's some pain courtesy of Aigis!" The missiles fired right into the yellow part of the Shadow. It let out a terrible cry as it disappeared. Everyone turned to me and Shinjiro with surprised looks on their faces.

"Woah..." Akihiko said, looking at me. "I didn't know you had missiles too!"

"Yeah... I'm really loaded. Armed to the teeth, cute as a button!" I smiled.

"Guys! I've located Junpei! He's on the roof of the dorm, but it looks like he's in serious trouble! We need to get over there, and fast!" Fuuka warned. We all looked at each other with worried looks on our faces. We ran back to the dorm as fast as we could.

* * *

When we got there, we saw Junpei tied up with a rope. There was a red haired girl standing before him with a white dress on. She looked like some kind of doll that you would find in those creepy movies...

"Junpei!" Yukari yelled. Junpei's head snapped up to look at us. He smiled at us while the girl turned around and frowned.

"Guys!" Junpei smiled.

"They're here already..." She said. She pulled an evoker out from behind her. Where did she get that!? By the way that Junpei was looking at it, it was probably his evoker. She must have stolen it so she would have a way to fight back against us should we arrive at the time that we did. We were lucky to all be here by the time, then. I doubt that she could handle all of us.

"Medea... come." The girl said, raising the evoker to her head. She dropped it just as fast, turning around with a fearful look on her face. Junpei let out some kind of roar and tackled the girl to the ground. The evoker fell out of her hands and to the floor. She started thrashing about underneath of Junpei, but she only made him hold her down tighter. She couldn't get the evoker. Akihiko ran over and snatched it up off of the ground. He waved it in her face to taunt her.

"Sorry, but you can't have this thing." He said.

"You... you are one of Strega, aren't you? I have some questions for you." Mitsuru said.

"I don't... fear... death..." The girl said.

"What?" Junpei asked.

"She's probably losing her mental stability. We should let her rest and then ask her questions later. Right now, we should just wait until she loses consciousness." Mitsuru said. Just then, she finally closed her eyes. "Junpei, I think that we need to ask _you_ some questions right now."

"Yeah. I'll be glad to answer them." Junpei said. "Alright... let's begin at when I was coming home..."

Everyone sat in silence as we paid attention to Junpei's story about what happened.

* * *

I looked up into the sky, it was getting really dark out, so it was time to get home. I should make it before the Dark Hour began. I finished what I was eating and then made it to the train that would take me home. When I got to the dorm, I took out my keys and put them in.

"Don't move!" I heard a girl's voice yell. I turned around to be greeted with a girl with red hair tackling me down!

"Hey, hey! If you wanted a piece of the ol' Junpei, then you coulda just asked!" I smirked.

"This isn't a game. You will do as I say." The girl said.

"Ooh! Kinky!" I smiled even wider. A punch in the face told me that this wasn't a joke. I stayed quiet the entire time. The girl used my key to enter the dorm. When I got in, I thought about yelling for help, but she had known that I was going to do that, so she hit me again. Could she... I dunno... kinda stop!? Junpei Iori was the kinda guy that wants to keep his figure nice and clean! I ain't got time for bruises!

But then again, bruises are the sign of a true man, right? I could do with some.

One look at the clock told me that it was useless to call for help anyway. No one was here! They were probably out waiting for the Shadow to arrive as I was being held by this psycho chick! We went up the stairs until we got to the roof. The psycho chick took out a rope and tied me up!

Hey, if I wanted to have _that_ kind of fun, I'd rather it be with someone that I like rather than some unknown chick that's probably trying to kill me!

That thought sank in, and I feared for the worst. Oh God, I'm too young and beautiful to die! I can't die!

The door to the roof opened, and the girl threw me out. She shut the door behind her.

"Dammit... I can't use my Persona..." I muttered, trying to reach for my evoker. My hands were tied! Literally!

"I can't believe how easy it was to sneak up on you. Tell me the others aren't like this, too..." The girl said.

"Hey, psycho chick! This ain't funny anymore!" I yelled, even though I knew this was no joke.

"I want you to do something for me. I have new orders for you to give to your friends... Surely you have the capacity to communicate with them." The girl said.

"Me... give orders?" I asked.

"If you do as I say... you won't be harmed. ...All you have to do is call off the mission. Easy, right? And not just the one tonight... All of them."

"Oh, LIKE HELL I WILL!" I tried to get up and break the rope that was tied to me, but the girl threw a fucking hatchet at me out of nowhere! I dodged just in time to avoid a real bad gash. That kinda shit ain't no flesh wound...

Some time passed, and then my captor gasped.

"It seems they've completed the mission..." She said.

"How can you tell?" I asked. That was weird! How could she tell that we completed the mission?

"Yes... through Medea's eyes..." She said.

"Who the hell is Medea!?" I asked.

"...My friend. My best friend in the whole wide world..." She responded. Oh shit! I felt like I was in the middle of one of those crazy scary slasher films!

"At least tell me your name so that I know who killed me..." I said, giving up. There was no way that I would make it out of this situation...

"That's not important... Why didn't you call off the mission? Is it worth your life? Dying is what people fear most... isn't it?" She asked.

"Yeah, my friends are worth my life!" I said. "And if you're going to threaten them, then I'll take yours!"

"Junpei!" I heard a voice yell.

"Guys!" I smiled.

* * *

"So... that's it." Junpei said, finishing his story.

"That's a little much..." I said. "Are you okay, Junpei? No wounds, no scratches? You had a HATCHET thrown at you?"

"Yeah..." Junpei laughed somberly. "Pretty crazy, don't you think?"

"My systems have registered her as "Chidori Yoshino". She is a member of Strega, yes. We must question her when she recuperates." Labrys said.

"Damn... that's bad if there's people tracking us now..." Minato said.

"How could they find us...?" I asked.

"We'll have to keep our guard up at all times." Akihiko said. "Let's get to bed. I'm sure we're all tired."


	18. Akihiko's Resolution

Throughout the rest of the week, Mitsuru and Akihiko spent their time at the hospital to find out answers from that red haired girl who Labrys identified as Chidori. Junpei was a little shaky, still. But that was to be expected.

Poor guy had a hatchet thrown at him. I was still sitting in school, bored by the teacher's lectures. Only my three friends that were with me was my only escape from this boredom. I was watching Minato intently. He was talking to his friend Kenji.

"So, what's your girlfriend like?" Kenji asked, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back in his chair. Kenji was dating one of the teachers. For what reason, I don't know why. What kind of enjoyment was there in dating someone who was much older than you?

"My girlfriend?" Minato asked, pointing to me. "Well, first of all, she's got some really, really big-" I punched his arm before he could say anything else about me.

"My body's shape is only your business, Minato... I'd advise you to not continue that sentence." I warned.

"Guns. She's got really big guns... she likes to collect them." Minato said. I glared at him. While it was a nice save, I knew that the word he used also described what he was going to say before. I had learned that much from Junpei. He was teaching me all about certain things that I would have to know to get more acquainted with society than I already was.

Junpei looked at me from behind Labrys. He was smirking. I could only guess he was going to throw out another one of his witty phrases.

"You know, Ai-chan, Labrys has a really, really big axe." Junpei snickered in his seat.

"Now what does me havin' a big axe gotta do with anythin' Junpei-kun!?" Labrys snapped. I was surprised. There was no way what I just heard was for real! Labrys... already obtained emotions? Junpei and Minato were surprised as well. So at least that meant that I wasn't going insane or anything.

"Labrys...? Are you okay...?" Junpei wave his hand in front of Labrys's face. She stared at the hand going up and down with a blank stare on her face.

"Is there something the matter?" Labrys asked, her voice reverting to it's original robotic state. Was that just a little flash of a personality that we just saw right now? Just a small semblance of a personality. Maybe she would adapt to hers faster than I had... or maybe it was just one of those rare moments.

"Aww... And here I thought that you would be able to talk to me normally!" Junpei frowned. He must have been disappointed.

"Junpei-san, would you like to 'hang out' with me today?" Labrys asked. She said "hang out" a little weirdly, like it was foreign to her. Yeah, that was definitely a little bit of a personality that we saw before, but now she's gone back to the same old Labrys. Talking to her is like talking to a wall, sometimes. Sometimes, even, the wall was a better option.

"Hang out? Sure, Labrys!" Junpei smiled widely. "I'm normally up at the roof after school, so come up there when you're done packing up your things and we'll go somewhere."

"Affirmative." Labrys nodded her head. I looked at Junpei with a curious expression on my face. Junpei normally didn't act like that towards Labrys. He usually talked to her like she was just a little kid. That curious look soon turned into a knowing smile.

"Pay attention to me when I'm speaking, class!" Ms. Toriumi yelled. I snapped back to my neutral position and straightened myself, sitting down on my hands and paying strict attention to the board and the teacher. I didn't want to get into any more trouble than I was already in with Toriumi. After that whole fiasco with me not wanting Labrys to sit next to me, she had begun to get wary of me and what I would do. Sometimes she would purposefully pick on me during class now...

* * *

Akihiko and Mitsuru were out again visiting Chidori at the hospital. The rest of SEES sat down at the lounge of the dorm. I had no idea what to do, even with Minato around. He wasn't usually around at night, because he would often go to Mandragora to sing. I had asked him why, only to hear him say that he wanted to 'work on his courage a little more'.

"I love how they're trying to get that girl to talk..." Shinjiro sighed. "Aki was always one to be determined. But they're not going to get answers out of that girl. We're probably going to just have to beat them out of her, or use Fuuka's ability to track down her comrades."

"About Fuuka..." Yukari shifted in her seat. "Well, there's something up with her, ya know? It's like she's always down in the dumps and it doesn't seem like she's going to go back to normal anytime soon. Labrys did a good job of finding her name out, so maybe we can use her to find the other members of that Strega group."

"Fuuka's not feeling like herself?" Junpei asked. "That's new... she's usually all cheery and happy. I wonder what's got her down..."

"It's probably got something to do with what she was saying a few weeks ago regarding that Shadow that she couldn't find and that Chidori psycho." Minato said. "She was saying something about her being useless because she couldn't find the Shadow using her powers. I wonder what's going on in that head of hers..." Sensing that I was still mad at him because of today, Minato wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer to him. I gasped at the sudden action, but smiled as I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"You're pretty tired to just go to sleep on my shoulder, aren't you, Ai-chan?" He asked me. I hugged Minato like a pillow and nuzzled up against him.

"I'm still mad about today." I said. "You're just getting on my good side."

"That's what was intended." Minato said. "You're so cute when you try to be mad at me. You make this little face that's so cute- there you go, you're making the face!"

"Aww... you two look so cute together!" Yukari squealed in delight at the sight that was before her eyes. "How did you two get so close overnight anyway? I knew that you were dating, but now you're all over each other and I can't find either one of you without the other close by!"

"Well, uh..." I played around with my fingers, embarrassed to say that me and Minato kissed each other two months ago.

"You two didn't... you know..." Yukari asked.

"N-No!" I yelled. "L-lewd..."

"As I recall, Minato-san and Aigis-san were 'sucking face'." Labrys said.

"Sucking face...? Where did you learn that, Labrys!? That's not the kind of thing that you should be hearing and using!"

"I heard it from Junpei-san." Labrys responded, still with a blank expression on her face. Junpei's face paled as he cowered in his seat. Yukari was glaring at him.

"Junpei, you can't just go teaching Labrys those kinds of phrases! She's gonna grow up to be some kind of pervert!" Yukari scolded. Junpei sighed and accepted the verbal beat down that he was going to get. Meanwhile I turned around to look at Minato. We both talked to each other some more and then decided to call it a day. We would have to wait until the next full moon.

* * *

As soon as I walked into the dorm today, I knew that something was the matter. It had begun raining partway through my trip back to the dorm. But as soon as I walked into the dorm, I was shivering. My body was drenched with rain.

"You weren't fast enough, huh, Ai-chan?" Junpei asked. I walked over to the couch, struggling to even stand.

"According to the news, a typhoon just hit. Supposedly, it's the biggest one on record. It's moving slowly, too, so it'll be around for a while..." Fuuka said.

"Yeah, thanks to that, the school festival got canned. ...Well, setting all that stuff up is a pain, so I don't mind. But, it sucks that we'll be stuck indoors... So, how are you gonna spend your break?" Junpei asked.

"I... I don't know yet..." I manage to chatter out.

"What about you, Fuuka?" Junpei turned to the blue haired girl.

"The only thing that I plan to do is go to the movies." Fuuka said hurriedly.

"How about you, Yuka-tan? Think you still got practice?" Junpei asked.

"I should hope not!" Yukari said. "The range is outside, so it's going to be canceled until the storm's over."

"Do you think that Strega will try to strike during this storm?" Labrys asked.

"I doubt it. I know that they're crazy, but they're not that crazy." Shinjiro said.

"I wonder what the rain'll look like in the Dark Hour. Doesn't it stop time except for the ones that are awake?" Minato asked. I stopped paying attention to the conversation that was taking place. I was focused on maintaining my body heat. There was a malfunction in my systems. I felt absolutely horrible.

What was happening to me...? I'm so scared... I've never experienced anything like this before...

The scenery around me starts to get blurry as I start swaying in my seat.

"Aigis!?" Minato gets up and tries to stabilize me, but I'm already out cold.

* * *

"You are up!" I heard Labrys's voice. From the looks of it, I seemed to have slept for a very long time. The typhoon has already passed. I looked out the window of my room. The sky was the clearer than ever before. I felt a little bit refreshed.

"Labrys... were you watching me the entire time that I was out?" I asked. The probability of that being true was 99.9%.

"Yes. I have not moved since you were sick." Labrys said.

"That was sick!? I got sick?" I asked. Wow... so that was what getting sick was like. That was something that I never want to experience again... that felt horrible.

"Yes." Labrys said. "Everyone was worried about you so they made me keep watch of you. I, however, had already volunteered ahead of time. It is my duty to protect you. And protect you I will."

"Labrys..." I began.

"There ain't no way to convince me otherwise, sis! I ain't gonna leave your side!" Labrys said.

"What was that just now?" I asked. There it was again! Just for a brief moment, Labrys showed emotion, but it quickly faded back into the monotone robotic voice.

"The full moon is in another week or two. We must be prepared to take action. I suspect that this will be the second to last one. After that, our mission will be complete. There is still more that we have to do. I suggest that we go to Tartarus tonight to train before the full moon." Labrys said.

So... it seemed that Labrys was slowly but surely getting a personality to her. Sometimes it would burst out out of nowhere. It's interesting, really. God, now I'm sounding like Ikutsuki.

* * *

The night of the full moon came, and everyone gathered in the meeting room, awaiting Fuuka to confirm the Shadow's location so that we could go out there and defeat it. Soon, the Arcana Shadows would all be destroyed, and Ryoji would appear. I would kill Ryoji as soon as I saw him. There was no time for games to be played.

"I've located the target! It's in the plaza in front of the station!" Fuuka said.

"This is the tenth one. Just a few more left to go." Ikutsuki said. Yes, just a few more left to go before your plan starts to get set in motion. I won't let you hurt any of my friends, Ikutsuki. That you can believe.

"...Assuming that they come one at a time... Just kidding." Yukari giggled. You know, it would be a good idea for them all to come at once. It would be much easier, and considering that we had much more people, we would be able to defeat them easily. I just didn't know where Shinjiro or Ken were. It worried me.

Wait... wasn't this the night when...

Oh no. I would have to defeat the Shadow that appeared fast and then find Shinjiro. I don't want him to die. Takaya wouldn't get his way. Not tonight.

"I sense two of them, actually!" Fuuka said. Yukari groaned in disgust and shrugged.

"Me and my big mouth..."

"Where's Shinji?" Akihiko asked.

"He said that he would meet up with us later. He didn't give me any more information." Fuuka said.

That worried me. I wondered if Shinjiro knew that his life was supposed to end today. Well, it's not going to end. Not while I'm here.

"Figures. He plays by his own rules anyway." Akihiko said.

"Ken-kun isn't here either!" Yukari noted. "I wonder what happened to him... Hey, Junpei, why don't you go get him, to make up for what happened the last full moon?"

"What are you, my mother? Alright, fine... I'll go I'll go." Junpei said, walking out the door.

"Alright, let's move out!"

* * *

We had quickly located the Shadows. One was enveloped in a flying pot of flowers, wearing some sort of white dress. The other looked like a statue. It was golden and it had an odd shape to it.

"Well, it's time to take care of these things!" Minato said. "Let's go, guys!"

Before we could do anything, the golden Shadow let out a screech and jumped into the air. It came down on some sort of spinning dial. He was facing towards the north while the dial was spinning. If I remembered correctly, then I would have to make the dial stop on a blue space so that it would hurt the Shadows instead of us.

"What is this...? Roulette?" Fuuka asked. That's exactly what it was. "It seems that whenever it stops on the blue one something good happens, while the opposite applies for the red one. I sure hope that it doesn't happen to land on red."

"Alright, so how do we stop the thing?" Akihiko asked.

The dial began to slow down. It made a complete stop on a red space that depicted a few multicolored stars. A sudden wave of confusion shot in my head. That must have been something that would have the same effect as Tentarafoo. Yukari snapped everyone out of it with an Amrita and we all got back into the game.

"Okay, I guess it stops when you say, Stop." Akihiko continued to say.

"You bonehead!" I yelled. The roulette stopped on another red space. This time... my mind felt as cloudy as it had when the Lovers took over my mind.

Oh... Minato looks so sexy in that outfit. I turned to him and walked towards him.

"Uh, Aigis...? What the hell are you doing?" Minato asked. "The Shadow's over there!"

"MINATO, WATCH OUT!" Fuuka yelled.

Minato was so cute... I just wanted to put a few bullet holes into him. I rose my guns and prepared to fire.

"Aigis!" Minato yelled. My mind didn't feel so cloudy anymore. I looked at the guns that were pointed at Minato.

"Oh my God!" I yelled, lowering them. "Minato are you okay!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine... that thing Marin Karin'ed you. We're lucky that we've got Yukari with us, or that coulda ended badly." Minato said.

"Alright, Akihiko! Let's get it together!" Mitsuru yelled. "Stop it when I tell you- shit."

Finally, the roulette stopped on something blue. It had a picture that depicted skeletons on them.

"Alright! Finally, we've got them right where I want them!" I smiled. The Shadows were instantly overcome by fear. Fear was where one of my Personas specialized.

"Now, come, Thanatos!" I yelled. The God of Death appeared behind me and let out a horrifyingly loud screech. It forced everyone to cover their ears, including me. The Shadows disintegrated as Thanatos screamed. The Ghastly Wail worked.

"Excellent work, Aigis!" Fuuka exclaimed. "We should return to the dorm."

"Wait... today is October 4th, huh?" Akihiko asked. "You guys go on ahead. I have somewhere to be."

"Akihiko...?" Mitsuru asked.

"I gotta go somewhere too." I said. Akihiko ran off, but I followed him. I have to save Shinjiro!

* * *

"What are you doing here, Aigis! This is something that only I can handle! Go back to the dorm!" Akihiko yelled.

"No, I can't leave you behind Akihiko-senpai! Not when there's Strega on the loose. I'll stand back for whatever it is you're doing, just please let me come with you to protect you!" I yelled.

"Fine... You can tag along. But don't get in the way, okay?" Akihiko asked. The sound of two gunshots reverberated throughout the area.

"We have to hurry!" I yelled.

We finally reached where we heard the gunshots. An alleyway. The same alleyway that we had first found Shinjiro when we were investigating the disappearance of Fuuka before our second full moon operation. Takaya was standing alone with a huge smirk on his face. He must have done something that he knew would rile us all up. I didn't like that look on his face... I wanted to just punch him right then and there, but it wasn't a good idea. The others had caught up to us. Shinjiro was laying down on the floor covering his shoulder while Ken was laying down on the floor.

"Do you see, Shinjiro?" Takaya asked. "That little boy got what he wanted. He would never fulfill his revenge, so he chose the ultimate ending for himself. Such a sad story."

"You... mother fucker... you downright dirty bastard..." Shinjiro choked out.

"Insults will not bring back the lost, Shinjiro. Hahaha... it's just like before, isn't it?"

"What do you know about before!?" Shinjiro yelled.

"I know everything about you. Our leader has been giving us valuable information about you all. We know how to get in deep..." Takaya said.

"You..." Yukari muttered. "You bastard... What did... What did you do to Ken!?"

Labrys ran over to the boy and placed a finger on his neck. He looked straight into my eyes.

"He is gone." Labrys said.

I stared at the boy, shocked.

"No... No! NO!" Junpei screamed. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"And now... I make my leave." Takaya said, disappearing in the Shadows.

"I... I don't believe it..." Akihiko muttered. "It happened again... it happened... again..."

"Akihiko, we must return home." Mitsuru said. "The Dark Hour will soon be over."

After many hard-fought battles, our squad had finally reached it's first casualty. When we got back to the dorm, no one spoke a word. We all sat in silence, a somber air filling the dorm's lounge. We all grieved the loss of Ken Amada.

He... He was just a child... he had a life ahead for him...

Shinjiro was admitted into the hospital to get the bullet in his shoulder removed. When the paramedics arrived, I got to see Shinjiro's face as he turned around to walk to the door. He was crying.

"It should have been me..." He had muttered. "He was just a boy..."

* * *

Yesterday was a terrible tragedy, but I had to go to school anyway today. Screw that. I couldn't go to school. Not today. I hoped that everyone would understand if I just locked myself in my room today. Ken was a valuable comrade, as well as a sweet child. He meant well, even if he conveyed it in an odd way. He would always come to me after school to ask if I could help with his homework or help him with a project. I swear... I swear I even heard him call me "Big Sister" once.

The fact of that made his death even more painful for me. Last night... I had a terrifying dream. I had dreamt about the scenario from yesterday, but there was something different about it. Yes, something different... something that made me utterly break inside.

I was taking the place of Shinjiro, while a child Minato was taking the place of Ken.

I was powerless to save him. I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried. That sneer on Takaya's face... It was all that I could remember. Even thinking about it now, I'm chilled to the bone. I couldn't go to school today. My mind wouldn't be in it.

"Are you not going to school?" Labrys asked me.

"No, I'm not. I won't go today." I said. "Could you do me a favor though, Labrys? Could you record the lessons for the day and then send them to me so that I'm not behind?" I asked.

"Affirmative." Labrys nodded her head and walked downstairs. I could hear Minato at the door.

"Do you know where Aigis is? We're supposed to be heading to school now." He said.

"I am sorry... I cannot find Aigis in our shared room anywhere. She must already be at school." Labrys responded.

I waited a few minutes to make sure that everyone was outside before I walked down into the lounge.

"Aigis... what are you doing here?" Akihiko asked. "You should be at school."

"Shouldn't you?" I asked.

"...You got me there." He responded. He motioned for me to sit down next to him. He had a cup of coffee in his hands. There was another one on the table.

"Mitsuru didn't drink from it. Hope you like it black." Akihiko said. "You couldn't go today either, huh? Not after what happened yesterday."

"Yeah. I... I couldn't go. Not after what we saw. To kill a child in cold blood without even feeling a thing..." I said. "He's a heartless criminal."

"You know... this is the third time that I feel absolutely powerless." Akihiko said. I sat back and took a sip of my coffee. I would be there to listen to what he had to say. "You know... ever since Miki died... I've been obsessed with power. It was all I cared about. I thought that if I was strong enough, I could protect anyone... But, I was wrong... And now, Ken's gone too... I'm such an idiot. In battle, there's always a chance of dying... I knew that! But... I was so focused on fighting that I didn't notice anything else! It didn't matter how tough I was! Look what happened!" Akihiko slammed down on the table and let out a cry of frustration. Tears were welling up in his eyes. "I know... crying won't solve anything, will it?"

"You're right. Crying isn't going to solve anything. What you need... is more battle. You need to get stronger..." A foreign voice said.

"W-What...?" Akihiko looked around. The owner of the voice was nowhere to be found. However, my scanners located his location easily. He was hiding in the Shadows. The man stepped out.

"Akihiko... it's your-" I was cut off by the man's laugh.

"Yes! It's me!" The man exclaimed. "I'm you! I'm your Shadow... the hidden feelings inside that no one wants to hear..."

"Damn you! They can appear outside of the Dark Hour?" Akihiko asked. I didn't know that myself. If it attacked us... we would be in serious trouble.

"It's all about the battle to you... you never think of anything else. Not after what happened to Miki. And now that that Ken kid's dead, you can just use that to fuel the fires of your need for battle! Fighting is what makes the world go round, me!" Shadow Akihiko smiled sinisterly.

"No, that's not true!" Akihiko said.

"And what's not true about that? Do you say that you're not going to accept me? You know what'll happen, right?" Shadow Akihiko asked. "You see... you're always so bone-headed that you don't know what's good for you!"

"No, I'm not denying that you're not me!" Akihiko said. He stood up and walked towards the Shadow. He looked his other self straight in the eyes. "You... you are a part of me. Just as I'm a part of you. I know that I'm some kind of battle crazy freak. I let myself become that because I didn't understand one simple concept that my friends have taught me."

"And what's that concept? I'm dying to hear."

"The concept of friendship. The concept that might doesn't make right. You can fight, fight, fight, and fight some more, but what will that change? Violence breeds violence. Sometimes you need to think things through before you do things. That's something that I was never good at. I was so confused when Miki died that I didn't know what to do. I got this crazy idea in my head that if you had power, you could protect everyone that you would ever meet. But there's something better than that. There's no reason to be some kind of battle maniac when you have people to be there to support you and be by your side. There's no reason that you have to shut all the walls around you, barring anyone from seeing you. You have to depend on other people's strengths and weaknesses to get through in life. That's what true strength is." Akihiko said.

"You... for once in your life, you actually thought something through..." Shadow Akihiko said. "That's right. You and I are one in the same. We're two sides of the same coin. Let me see you put a smile on your face as you walk towards the future." He extended his hand towards Akihiko. Akihiko smiled at his Shadow, and took his hand in his. He rose his hand up and down with the same smile on his face. The Shadow shared the smile as it disappeared into Akihiko's body.

Suddenly, his Persona was invoked. Polyduces appeared out of nowhere and started to change.

"I can't carry this guilt forever, am I right, Caesar?" Akihiko asked.

"Aigis... I want to talk to Shinjiro. Do you want to come with me?" Akihiko turned to me.

"Yes." I nodded.

* * *

When we got to the hospital, Shinjiro was nowhere to be found. He wasn't in his room, and there was no signs of him forcing his departure. A nurse who was walking by tapped on my shoulder. I turned around to look at her.

"Don't you know that Shinjiro left? We got the bullet out. Luckily nothing was damaged too much. All he needs is a little bit of rest and he'll be okay." The nurse said.

"Do you know where he is?" I asked.

"I think I might have an idea. Let's go, Aigis." Akihiko said. I followed him outside of the hospital and into the streets of Iwatodai. I also had a feeling on where he was.

We found Shinjiro at the alleyway. The same one where Ken died. The smell of cigarettes lingered in the air. Akihiko searched around and quickly found him. I decided to stay back and watch their conversation. It was getting late. Shinjiro was leaning against a wall, smoking a cigarette.

"I didn't know that you smoked." Akihiko said. "Those things'll kill you. You should stop."

"If it'll kill me, then good. I was the one who was supposed to die that night, not Ken." Shinjiro said. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and flicked it towards the trash can that was stationed a few feet away. It missed, but he didn't seem to mind.

"What are you saying, Shinji?" Akihiko asked. "Are you just going to give up because of what happened to Ken?"

"If you want to put it like that, then yes. There was no reason for that boy to die. Don't you see, Aki? I'm a bad omen. I shouldn't be a part of your SEES. I would only just get in the way of everyone."

"That's a lie and you know it. You're just running away." Akihiko said.

"Wanna say that again?" Shinjiro asked.

"I said that you're running away!" Akihiko yelled. Shinjiro punched him in the face, sending him backwards and to the ground. Akihiko got up and wiped some blood from his upper lip. "You've got some power to you."

"I know. We used to fight when we were little, remember?" Shinjiro asked. "I'm running away, huh?"

"Yeah. I used to be running away myself, but now... now I'll face everything head on. You should do the same, Shinji. Things like what happened last night are no joke. It was tragic to lose Ken. But you have to move forward. You can't always dwell on the past, you know? It's just not right..." Akihiko said.

"Don't dwell on the past...?" Shinijro asked. "A little boy died last night, Aki! How can I forget that when I was the one who was supposed to be on the receiving end of that bullet!?"

"Stop blaming yourself for something that couldn't have been helped." Akihiko said. "Shinji... you were shot in the arm. You couldn't have moved in the way of the bullet!"

"No... it didn't happen like that, Aki! What happened was... he jumped in front of the second bullet in front of me. I was supposed to take that last bullet, Aki... But... he was the one who did instead. He had a full life ahead of him... I just..." My eyes widened as I saw something come out of Shinjiro's eyes. Tears. Shinjiro was actually crying... "What am I doing to myself...? I shouldn't be trying to kill myself because I was meant to last night... I should be living the life that Ken gave up to save mine."

"That's the spirit, Shinji." Akihiko said. "Come on, everyone's worried about you, just as much as they're probably worried about me."

"Yeah. Oh yeah, that reminds me. I heard that you had a little trouble with the Shadows last night? Something about you being a bonehead and not knowing when to say "stop"." Shinjiro laughed.

"H-Hey! Shut up!" Akihiko yelled.

* * *

"Where the hell have you been Aigis!?" Minato asked as soon as I walked into the door. I was surprised by his sudden outburst, but calmed myself down. I walked over to him and sat down next to him on the couch.

"I was out doing some things." I said. "Besides... I couldn't go today. Not after what had happened last night."

"Let's not get down in the dumps, guys. We should head over to Tartarus to get stronger so we can defeat that last Shadow and be rid of the Dark Hour once and for all!" Akihiko cheered.

"You seem awfully cheery, Akihiko." Mitsuru said.

"I realized that power isn't everything. I'm ready to fight on to protect the ones that I need to protect." Akihiko said.

"I can see the resolve in your eyes... you truly are remarkable, Akihiko." Mitsuru smiled.

"I'll see this through to the end, no matter what. We can't let what Ken gave us go to waste. We have to get through this, and we can only do it together." Akihiko said.

* * *

There was one thing on my mind that made me feel horrible. Midterms started tomorrow. How was I supposed to do something like that with the death of someone fresh on my mind? Oh well... I would have to bear through it.


	19. Emotions

The midterms were a breeze for me, even though I really couldn't focus on what was going on around me. Ken's death was still fresh on my mind, but I wouldn't let it stop me from taking down that last Shadow. It was going to appear soon. Just one more week and the Shadow would come. We would defeat it, release the seal of Ryoji, and I would kill him, making this all a happy little ending for us. I couldn't wait until this was all over, so that I could sit down and relax for once.

Come to think of it, summer break was the last time that I got to relax as much as I wanted to. I'm looking forward to the next full moon... Once this is all over, I'm going to just sit down and not have a care in the world. There would be nothing more for me to do, considering there would be no Abyss of Time to explore. We were not going to grieve Minato's loss because he wouldn't be lost.

I would make sure of that. This, I swear. I looked over to Labrys. She was talking with the other members of the team while I was here just staring at the bulletin board. It seemed that as she got more social and more acquainted with society, the less I became. Funny, how things work out sometimes. I'd have to work on that. Not that I was going to become a social butterfly like Yukari, hell no! But I would still have to work on it.

* * *

Mitsuru was standing by the school's bulletin board as always. She was always there when I passed by, but I never bothered to say hello to her. Maybe I should talk to her and see what's going on with her.

"Hi, Mitsuru-senpai!" I waved to her as I walked up to her. Mitsuru smiled at me and waved as well. She didn't have a happy look on her face, though. The smile was obviously forced. There was something wrong and I knew it.

"Is there something wrong, Aigis?" Mitsuru asked. "Normally you just pass me by on the way home."

"Well, I had decided that I wanted to talk to you at least once! We're part of a team right? So why can't we hang out like friends every once in a while?" I asked, moving next to her. Mitsuru looked down to the floor, arms crossed. There was something wrong with her. So... why does she persist in hiding it? It's painfully obvious that something's troubling her. She has this thing that she does when she's over thinking things. Her eyebrows furrow intensely. Everyone has a little forced habit that they do when they feel troubled. For example, Akihiko plays around with his hands. Minato starts putting his hand through his hair. Junpei fixes his hat, even though it does not need to be fixed. Me, well, I stare blankly at a wall.

"There's something wrong." I stated.

"You could tell?" Mitsuru asked.

"Of course I can tell. You always do that little eyebrow furrowing thing when you're over thinking things." My face grew serious.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk here... let's go to the Student Council room. There's no one there today, so I think we should be able to get in." Mitsuru said. She motioned for me to follow her after looking around to see if no one was looking. Why, I don't know. After we finished walking up the stairs and onto the second floor, Mitsuru once again checked for anyone that looking at us. Is she paranoid about something?

I suppose that this is another one of her forced habits. Mitsuru comes from a rich family, so she must be worried about people who want to listen into our conversations. It could mean trouble for her.

Mitsuru opened the doors to the Student Council room and took the seat in the middle of the room. I sat at the seat closest to her. Mitsuru seemed a little bit shifty today. There was something definitely wrong here. Mitsuru isn't the type of person to be like that.

"So... what's going on? Why are you acting so paranoid?" I asked.

"Paranoid? Well, I guess you could say that. I... I had a bad dream last night." Mitsuru took a deep breath before she continued on. "A bad dream about what happens after we defeat the Shadow that's going to appear in one week. It... involved my father."

The mood in the room instantly shifted from bad to worse.

"He was shot and killed. That was all I could see before I woke up in a cold sweat. I had almost screamed. I'm glad that I didn't, though, because everyone would have came running for me. You might not know this, but I am quite the screamer. I can be very loud at times." Mitsuru closed her eyes and smiled.

"And you said that this was after we defeated the final Arcana Shadow? Do you... think it's some kind of premonition?" I asked. There was one thing that was true. Mitsuru was right. After we defeated the final Shadow before, her father got shot and he was killed during Ikutsuki's betrayal against the entirety of SEES. Could that dream mean that he was going to die either way? There was no alternative, like with Shinjiro? That was bad... There really wasn't much that I could do there, considering I was taken over by Ikutsuki. I would have to work hard to not have that happen to me. I only hoped that he would try to hack into my systems and would be stopped by my fire wall. There would be no way that he would be able to get past it.

Or... does he have something more sinister on his mind? I mean... with all due respect to Labrys, if he took over her mind I would easily thrash her, but if he found some way to take over me... then it would not end well.

"I don't know if it is or not, but we should be careful anyway. On that day, we should be wary of whatever's going to happen. I have a feeling that Strega will be involved in some way, but yet again, that's just another premonition." Mitsuru said.

"I'm sorry... I don't know what to tell you Mitsuru. Maybe you should check up on your father at the very least." I tried to give her the best advice I could muster up. It seems that Mitsuru was still grateful, though.

"Thank you Aigis. I think I'll do just that." Mitsuru said. She stood up and opened the door. Before she walked outside, she turned her head to me. "I think we should be getting back to the dorm. It's getting late." I nodded and walked out along with Mitsuru.

* * *

The inside of the dorm had a serious air about it. How could it not? After all, we were about to defeat the final Arcana Shadow. I just wish that everything was over after it's death. But... some things in this world aren't meant to happen.

"What are we going to do when it's all over?" Yukari asked. "There's nothing left for us to do anymore after that, is there?"

"It kinda sucks that I'll have to give up this Persona of mine. It's a pretty awesome power. There won't be any use for them after the Dark Hour is gone, and the worst of it all is that no one will ever know what we did..." Junpei sighed. "I guess that's part of life, though."

"I'm ready to take that thing on. This needs to end." Akihiko said.

Labrys remained silent, opting to look down to the floor, a trait that I had when I was over thinking. What was on her mind?

"A machine's purpose is to fulfill the mission, but what happens when the mission is over...?" She muttered. It felt like I was the only one who heard her. Those words brought back some nasty memories for me...

I couldn't dwell on the past for too long. It was time to start looking ahead. This Shadow was going to be unlike anything that we've ever faced before, so we would have to be prepared for it so it doesn't defeat us that easily.

I knew that nothing that thing could dish out was equivalent to Nyx's power, though. I hoped that I would never have to fight something like that ever again.

* * *

Tonight's the night. The final Arcana Shadow is upon us. Everyone came straight home from school and we all gathered around in the meeting room. Fuuka was doing her scanning thing with a different Persona this time. I guess she must have had a revelation one of the days leading up to this day that made her Persona evolve. I wondered how many people have had that happen to them... I've only seen Akihiko.

"I've found it! It's on the south edge of the Moonlight Bridge." Fuuka announced, dismissing her new Persona. "And also... Strega. All three of them."

"I think we should split the team in half. One team goes against Strega while the other fights the Shadow. How does that sound?" Minato asked. It sounded like a good idea to me.

"Good plan, Arisato. You're handling this leader business well." Mitsuru said.

"This is the final mission. I expect a job well done." Ikutsuki said. His face was serious.

* * *

We arrived at the Moonlight Bridge and found who we were looking for. Takaya, Jin and Chidori were standing, waiting for us. Takaya smiled as he pulled out his revolver.

"I believe that you know the significance of today. You claim to hunt the Shadows to stop the disasters that they bring, yet countless lives are lost every day without their intervention. The power that we yield is not itself evil... you cannot deny that. So why not just admit it? You do not wish to eliminate the Dark Hour. You are merely deluding yourselves." Takaya said.

"That's not true!" I yelled.

"Then why not look over to your robot companion, or maybe the one with the hat..." Takaya pointed to them both. "But forget it. You will find a way to deny everything I say so long as you do not see the point that I am coming from. We will make quick work of you."

"Alright. Whoever wants to fight Strega with me, say "I". The rest will follow Aigis into battle with the Shadow!" Minato instructed. He was pretty good for a leader, I had to say. Shinjiro and Akihiko, as I expected, walked up to Minato. Mitsuru joined them as well. That left Junpei, Yukari, and Labrys to help me defeat the Shadow. I ran past the members of Strega and found the Shadow in question. It was a horrible looking thing. Something in the shape of a muscular man was hanging from two halo looking things that were flying above him. Strings were attached to it to keep it in the air. Underneath of it were three statues. To be honest, I forgot what those were for...

"This is the last battle. If we defeat this Shadow, then we're going to eliminate the Dark Hour!" Fuuka cheered us on. "I'll support you from here, so ask me if you need anything."

"Damn... if that thing's flying then there's no way that me and Labrys can hit that!" Junpei stated. "Looks like it's all you till we find a way to get it down, Yuka-tan and Ai-chan!"

"If that's the case, then are you ready?" I asked, looking to Yukari.

"Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I guess." I could tell that the Shadow was grossing her out. Believe me, it grossed me out too. It just... didn't look right. It looked too... human.

"Wait! It seems to be connected to those statues that are on the ground!" Fuuka said. "Maybe you could attack them and see what happens!"

"Alright! You ready, Labby?" Junpei asked. Labrys nodded at Junpei and charged with him to the statues that were on the ground underneath the Shadow. They made quick work of the statues. Fuuka was right. They were connected to the Shadow somehow. They must be holding up the strings so that the Shadow would stay in the air! Well, the Shadow fell to the ground, and it was wide open.

"Here's our chance, let's get 'em!" Junpei said. I gave him the okay, and we commenced with the All Out Attack. I got in close and started whacking it at every angle that I could find. The Shadow was being weakened with every blow. Labrys was swinging her axe around like it was nothing, cutting some parts of the Shadow open. It started to move around again, regaining it's balance. We should have to retreat for now so that we wouldn't get hurt.

"Alright, then we've got a plan of action. Junpei and Labrys, you focus on the statues when we appear and me and Yukari will support you two. While it's on the ground like this, we'll attack it directly!" I ordered. The Shadow lifted it's hands up and slammed down onto the ground, shaking the suspension bridge that we were stationed on. It continued to repeat it's motions, shaking it left and right.

"That's not good! If it keeps this up, then the bridge is going to break!" I yelled.

"We've got to find some way to make it stop!" Yukari yelled. I started to move in close along with the rest of the group that was with me for the Shadow. I shot every part of it that I could, hoping that it would stop it. It delivered a swift punch to Yukari, lifting her up the ground a little bit before sending her away.

"Hey you bastard, didn't you ever hear to not hit girls from your moth-" Junpei was stopped by a vicious headbutt from the Shadow, sending him flying the same way that it did Yukari. I ran over to the two to help them back up, leaving Labrys alone with the Shadow. As I helped them up, I could see Labrys spin around using her axe. She kept on doing it and doing it until I couldn't even see her anymore.

Then, the entire bridge shook up and down rapidly. I looked at the Shadow, thinking that it slammed down on it, but it was actually Labrys. She used her axe to gain momentum to slam down on the Shadow with such force that she decapitated it!

"Amazing!" I cried out.

"Aaaargh!" I turned around to see Takaya fall off of the bridge along with Jin and Chidori.

"So... it's all over, isn't it?" Junpei asked.

"I believe that a celebration is in order." Labrys said, walking up to the group. We all gathered around. "What do we say to cheer?"

"Ugh... can't we just go home? I'm dead tired." I complained.

"1... 2... 3... Ugh... can't we just go home?" Labrys said. I stared at her, along with everyone else.

"What?" Labrys asked.

I fell the the floor cackling. That was amazing. That was truly, amazing.

"Let's just go home..." Junpei shook his head.

"What!?" Labrys asked again.

* * *

Today was the day that Ikutsuki betrays us all. I wondered how he would manage to go about that, now that I've upgraded my firewall. Oh well, I guess that would come later on today.

"Hey Ai-chan, hope that your stomach is ready!" Junpei said. "I know how much you love to eat!"

"Shut up Junpei! That's not something you say to someone in public!" I scolded.

"Oh, sorry. But anyway, I can't believe it... it's finally over, you know? I wonder what's going to happen next..." Oh, nothing much, just the usual. You know, me tying you guys up to a cross and then almost killing you... you know, the basic stuff.

Oh God I hope that doesn't happen... I'd never live with myself...

After school, Ikutsuki came to pick me up. I gasped. This was not good. And there was no way that I would get out of this.

"Hey, Aigis. I noticed something odd about you during combat last night. Your movements were a little... clunky. I wanted to fix you up." Ikutsuki said. My eyes widened.

"No." I said. "All of my systems are green. They are functioning normally and perfectly."

Ikutsuki reached into his coat and pulled out a revolver.

"I would get in the car... if I were you. You don't want to end up like that Ken boy, right?" Ikutsuki said. "Plus... I have the ability to deactivate you at any time."

"...Fine." I begrudgingly sit in the car. He started to drive off.

"I've been waiting a long time for this... today is the day that I finally release the seal... and you will help me do just that. Or rather... your friends." Ikutsuki said.

"Why are you doing this!?" I yelled.

"If I told you that would ruin the surprise... now be a good little girl and keep quiet, alright? If you don't, I'll just shut you down on the way." Ikutsuki warned.

We arrived at wherever he was taking me. I was so scared... there was nothing I could do.

"Hey!" Ikutsuki called out as he stepped out of his car along with me. "I brought her, so you'd better come out!"

"What makes you think you have the right to command me!?" I heard a voice yell. A blonde girl walked out.

"Son of a bitch..." I said. I knew how this was going to happen.

"You should have never told me about the 'Shadow Selves', Aigis!" Ikutsuki smiled sadistically. "Now... do your thing! Become one with her!" My eyes widened.

"No..." I shook my head.

"It's best to just accept that this is happening, Aigis." Ikutsuki said. "It will make everything better. You know, at first, I had thought that I should just reprogram Labrys to do our work, but I remembered... you're the ultimate Anti-Shadow Weapon... just get you to do it. I knew that you had upgraded your firewall, so reprogramming you was out of the question. But then I remembered what you told me all those months ago about the Shadow Selves. You brought this upon yourself, Aigis. So why don't you just welcome it?"

"I'll scream." I threatened. "And I'm a loud, loud girl."

"It doesn't matter." The Shadow that was in front of me said. "What happens next... is all my doing. And you're going to watch every single part of it. I'm going to make them suffer, Aigis. All of your friends will die..."

"Fuck you!" I yelled.

"Ooh... so you've got some anger to you... that's good. Emotions like that... makes this so much easier." My Shadow walked to me and grabbed my head. Everything was still for a moment, and then I felt pain. Pain like nothing I've ever felt before. I couldn't scream. There was nothing that I could do to stop whatever was happening to me. Was I... dying? Was this the end of me!?

No... No!

"It's happened..." Ikutsuki smiled at me. "My theory worked... A Shadow can directly take control of the other self!"

"Let's skip all this praising bullshit and get right to the show!" I smiled. "I can't wait to see Minato's face..."

* * *

Together me and Ikutsuki stood at the gates to the school. The Dark Hour would be soon. It was my favorite time of the day. 11:59. They should be coming any second now! I started to imagine all the things that I would do to them.

How badly would I want to break everyone?

"Aigis." Ikutsuki said. "Get your head in the game."

"Why don't you shut up, old man?" I retorted. "I've finally taken over goodie-two-shoe's place and I'm still getting commanded?"

"Just strike when I tell you to." Ikutsuki sighed in disgust and turned around. The Dark Hour hit, and those useless imbeciles came along with it.

"Ikutsuki-san!" I heard Akihiko yell.

"Aigis...?" Minato asked. "What are you doing here?"

"She is here merely to fulfill her role- as a weapon." Ikutsuki said.

"A weapon...? What's this all about, Ikutsuki!?" Junpei asked.

"You said the Dark Hour and Tartarus would disappear if we defeated the 12 Shadows. That's why we fought so hard! But, now-"

"...What is your intention? It was all a lie, wasn't it? You knew from the beginning that the Dark Hour wouldn't disappear." Mitsuru said.

"Right on the money, Kirijo dog!" I snapped my fingers.

"Like Aigis said... it was an excellent deduction. But I'm afraid that you're too late." Ikutsuki said.

Is he going to let me attack? I want to attack! I want to break everything in their bodies!

"No..." Labrys said.

"You tricked us!" Minato yelled.

"Everything is as I planned... It is not unexpected that the Dark Hour and Tartarus remain. In fact, I never intended for you to rid the world of them. Quite the opposite, actually." Ikutsuki said.

"What do you mean?" Fuuka asked.

"The 12 Shadows were parts of a whole... They were destined to be reunited. And that was accomplished in no small part, thanks to your efforts. Soon, Death, the almighty, shall arise and bring forth the Fall..." Ikutsuki said.

"...Death?" Shinjiro asked.

"The end of all shall come and free this world from despair... The death of everything... but also the beginning." I said.

"Aigis, what's wrong with you!?" Yukari yelled. "You're not like this at all!"

"Ten years ago... I, too, was a scientist for the project we've spoken of. The experiment went awry, but that is not why the Dark Hour and Tartarus were born. They manifested as a result of harvesting the Shadows' power- just as the experiment was designed to do. That is why your grandfather gathered so many Shadows... To bring about the Fall." Ikutsuki said.

"I helped, too! Shame that I didn't know it at the time..." I stated.

"People have filled the world, yet turned it into a void! The only hope of salvation lies in ruin! According to the prophecy... The Fall will be orchestrated by "the Prince." And once the Prince has delivered us all, he shall rule the new world as King! The man who tried it ten years ago failed. But I will not; I shall succeed!" Ikutsuki smiled hideously.

"Can't you even get an evil smile right you old fool?" I asked.

"I told you to keep quiet!" Ikutsuki snapped.

"Have they lost their minds...?" Junpei asked.

"I'm sorry for tricking you, but this was for your sake as well. If you follow me just a little while longer, you will receive salvation." Ikutsuki said.

"The looks on your faces are priceless!" I commented.

"I have a question for you." Yukari said.

"Yes...?" Ikutsuki asked.

"In the video from my father... He said to defeat the Shadows... Was that a lie, too?"

"Of course you idiot! Ikutsuki corrected it!" I yelled. Yukari glared at me. Good... that look of rage on her face... it was all I needed.

"Your father was a superb scientist... He may not have known it, but I truly respected him. While others focused on the Shadows' abilities, he explored much more important things... But unfortunately, he could not comprehend the magnificent potential of the Fall..." Ikutsuki said.

"He risked his life for that video." Mitsuru said.

"It proved rather useful, though. I'm sure he's happy." Ikutsuki responded.

"You were behind it all... you used me and my father!" Yukari said.

""Used" is such an ugly word. It was for the sake of the world, how could it be wrong?" Ikutsuki asked.

Yukari took her evoker out.

"Wait!" Junpei warned.

"Is it finally time!? Do I get to break them!?" I asked excitedly. I couldn't wait any longer!

"...How disappointing. I had hoped you would see the light. But, you are just children, after all. I suppose it can't be helped. Aigis! The time has come for you to fulfill your role. Capture them, and prepare them to be sacrificed!" Ikutsuki sighed.

"My pleasure!" I crouched, and then leaped off the stairs. Everyone backed away as I landed on the ground, causing some of the brickwork that was underneath me to split a little. I slowly looked up. I wanted to create suspense for the show! I stood up and looked at all of them.

"Now then... who wants to start the bloodbath?" I asked.

"What... what are you...?" Mitsuru asked. She was looking into my eyes.

"You're not Aigis." Shinjiro said. "You're that... Oh no."

"Oh, Shinji! I'm sure you've seen me around!" I said.

"What did you do to Aigis!?" Minato yelled.

"Are you stupid, Mina-chan? I AM Aigis!" I said.

"Intense Shadow readings..." Labrys said. "Coming right from her..."

Fuuka looked at me, frightened at the mere sight of me.

"You... you're a Shadow..." She said. "Ikutsuki... turned Aigis into a Shadow!"

"No." Junpei said. "No. That's Aigis, alright... that's the side of her that she doesn't want us to see. Aigis is somewhere around here, she has to be! The only way to defeat this thing is to have Aigis accept it!"

"I'm afraid I've already taken precautions for that. You see... I'm not some ordinary Shadow... I've merged with her." I said. "Aigis is gone forever! I'm the only thing left!"

"Give Aigis back!" Minato tried to punch me, but I grabbed his hand and started to squeeze it. I could feel the bones in his hand break as I did so. He screamed out in pain as he gripped his hand, pulling away from me.

"Minato!" Yukari yelled.

"So... looks like Mina-chan is the first to fall. I'm sure that you're going to do no better." I said. "He's the strongest one here, after all."

"Now I know where I've seen you before... you were with them!" Shinjiro said. "You're Strega's leader!"

I started to clap. I mean, he got it right, so why not commend him?

"Yes! That's me!" I smiled.

"You're... not... Aigis..." Labrys said. I turned to her.

"Wanna bet?" I asked. "Can't I just get to the show, now? Actually... I don't need your permission to!" I jumped at Akihiko, surprising him. I landed on top of him and started to beat him down. Junpei wrapped his arms around me in an attempt to get me off of him, but I kicked him in the stomach, instantly flooring him. When Akihiko finally passed out from the beating that I was giving to him, I moved on to Shinjiro. He wasn't going to be as easy.

"Castor!" He called his Persona to attack me. The Persona lunged at me, but I dodged, and fired a bullet right into it. Shinjiro felt the same pain that the Persona did, so he was to the ground as well.

"That just leaves the Kirijo dog, Yukari, and Labrys. Oh, and don't forget, you too, Fuuka." I said.

"If you lay one finger on Fuuka, then I'm going to kill you." Mitsuru said.

"I'd love to see you try that with your broken arm." I said.

"W-What..? My arm is just fi- GAH!"

"You shouldn't have spoken too soon, Mitsy!" I waved a finger in front of her. Most of SEES were lying down on the floor, writhing in pain. Yukari was next to fall. She screamed loudly as I twisted her leg back.

"Your screams are only making me want to keep going!" I yelled.

Next up was Labrys.

"You know, I envy you." I said. "You don't feel pain."

"Stop it, Aigis!" Labrys yelled.

"Ooh, what's this!? Did you finally get yourself emotions? That's too bad... and here I thought that you could enjoy the bliss of being unable to feel." I said. I grabbed her head and lifted her up to the sky. I moved my hand so that I had it around her neck, and then I slammed her into the floor. I kept on doing it, and doing it, and doing it until her eyes closed. Her systems were offline.

"Excellently done, Aigis!" Ikutsuki smiled at me and clapped.

"What did you expect?" I asked. "We're bringing them to the top, right?"

"Of course. Come along now, we're going to take a little trip." Ikutsuki smirked.

* * *

"What's going on!? What is the meaning behind all of this!?" I heard a voice yell, snapping me out of my boredom. I wanted to kill at least something! I looked up to see that Mitsuru and the others had woken up from their little nap. They struggled against their restraints on the crosses that I had tied them up against, but soon stopped. The pain of their broken limbs must have been too much. Labrys was still offline.

I hadn't harmed that Fuuka girl. Mainly because of the fact that she couldn't fight. There was no honor in hurting the weak.

"Ikutsuki... what is the meaning of this?" The lead Kirijo dog, Mitsuru's father, asked. I had taken him along with me when we walked up Tartarus.

"It is just as it appears... They are to be sacrifices- harbingers of the Fall. The arrangements are complete. The prophecy shall be fulfilled." Ikutsuki said.

"I'm gonna rip your head off you son of a bitch!" Junpei yelled. He once again struggled in his restraints. However, his broken ribcage held him back.

"But if we're sacrifices, then who's going to sacrifice us?" Minato asked.

"Funny that you should ask that, Mina-chan. That person is going to be me." I pointed to myself. Kirijo's father struggled in my grasp, but I pressed my guns to his neck. Hard. Mitsuru had gasped in horror at that.

"You traitor! Are you insane!?" He yelled.

"Obviously not. You know, your father was an unlucky man. Even you, his son, after all this time, do not understand his vision." Ikutsuki sighed.

"My father was wrong. Death as deliverance... That is not an ideology anyone should ever embrace!" Mitsuru's father yelled.

"You're nothing but a foolish nuisance now... Aigis, since you've wanted to do this for a while now, I'll let you do the honors." Ikutsuki gave me the okay to finally do what I've wanted to do for years.

"Wait! No! Aigis, please! No! Please... snap out of this! Please!" Mitsuru begged.

"A Kirijo begging...? That's a surprise. Let's see a smile on that face, Kirijo! Show your daughter a good time!" I pulled the trigger. The bullet went right through him and hit him right in the brain. Mitsuru screamed in both rage and sorrow.

"It's time to end this." Ikutsuki said, shifting his glasses. "Aigis... execute them."

"It looks like this is the end of the road, SEES. I would say that it was nice knowing you, but it really wasn't." I said. My guns were fixed on Minato. Out of my love for him, he would be the first to go. I had made his pain the less severe as well. I would grace him with a painless death.

"No... Aigis! Snap out of it! I know that you're in there!" Akihiko yelled.

"Aigis..." Minato caught my attention. "You're going to kill us, right?"

"Of course. What do you think "sacrifice" means you fool?" I taunted.

"You can't." Minato smiled. "I know you can't lay a damned finger on me."

"Do you want to see?" I asked.

"Go ahead and shoot. You'll never make your mark." Minato smirked.

"What is he planning...?" Yukari asked.

I fired at him.

"You see, your eyes shut when you fired that bullet."

"WHAT!?" I yelled. "How are you still alive!? I fired that right at your damned head! Fine, that's it! Answer my call, Thanatos!" I yelled. Thanatos drew his katana and flew towards Minato. I smiled with joy as Thanatos slashed.

"Not even your Persona can kill me." Minato said. "You're wasting time and bullets."

"You... You little bastard... you're stalling for time, aren't you!?"

"You useless piece of scrap metal! Fine! If you can't do it, then I'll do it myself!" Ikutsuki yelled. He grabbed a gun out of his coat pocket and pointed it at Minato.

"No!" I yelled, tackling him to the floor. "I'm the one who's going to kill him, not you!"

"What are you doing you malfunctioning piece of garbage!?" Ikutsuki yelled. "I've waited ten long years for this, and I'm not going to let this go to waste! If you can't do it, then I will!"

"Now!" Minato yelled. Minato broke out of his chains.

"You low down dirty dog! You made me fire at you on purpose!" I screamed in frustration. No! This wasn't how it was supposed to be! He tricked me into firing at his restraints instead!

"Orpheus!" Minato cried out. "Burn their chains!"

"No!" I yelled. I tried to fire at Orpheus, but his Persona dodged every single one of my bullets.

"I told you about a month ago! I said that I would come prepared for this kind of thing!" Minato said. He tackled me to the floor and held me down. I couldn't break out of his hold.

"How are you holding me down like this!? You're a human! I'm a machine! I'm a killing machine!"

"I'll be taking my leave, now!" Ikutsuki yelled. The last thing that I saw of him was him running down the tower. He must have gotten away unscathed for him to be running like that.

"Come back! Come back you bastard!" Mitsuru yelled.

"You still have me to worry about you Kirijo dog!" I yelled. I tried to aim at her, but Minato smacked my hand away. He still had me in his hold.

"Somebody help me restrain her!" Minato commanded. Akihiko and Shinjiro came running to him.

"I'm not leaving until I claim one of your lives!" I yelled.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Junpei yelled at me. "You've been defeated! It's over!"

"My revenge..." I started to sob. What was this...? Tears...? Why was I crying? I'm supposed to feel nothing! I shouldn't have emotions...!

"Your... revenge...?" Minato asked. Sensing that I was unable to even stand up on my own, he stood up.

"I'll never be able to get my revenge on you... all of you humans..." Out of all the odds, I had actually started to break down and cry. Isn't this an embarrassing sight? A Shadow... crying.

"Aigis...?" Junpei looked down.

"Oh my god..." Yukari said.

"Why do you want revenge on us?" Shinjiro asked. "What did we do to you?"

"You want to know what you did to me? You're normal. That's what..." I choked out. "I hate you all... No... it's not hate. I guess you could say that it's envy. You're all human... you're not a mechanical monster... you're not me. You would never, ever be able to understand how I feel. I love Minato... but I can't please him in any way shape or form because I don't have what a normal human girl has... I'll never be a 'normal girl'. So that's why... I'm going to ravage this entire world with the Fall. I'll be what's considered normal! I won't be a monster anymore! Sometimes I wish that I never got my emotions at all... then I would never feel like this... then I wouldn't feel anymore and that would make my problems all go away..."

"Aigis..." Fuuka said.

"So this is what she really feels..." Akihiko muttered. "I... feel sorry for her."

"Hahahaha... I try to kill you and you go and feel sorry for me...? You guys are the most incomprehensible thing that I've seen yet."

"I know that you're her Shadow and all, and that you took over her body... but can you give her back to us?" Minato asked.

"Give her back to you? You just want me to give her back...?" I asked. "I hope you know that this isn't the last that you've seen of me. You'll be seeing me until Aigis accepts me. You can have your precious toy back." It was time for me to part, anyways. Time was running short for the Dark Hour, and I had to find some way to retreat. This was the perfect way. Release her and then fade away back into the Shadows. I closed my eyes, and felt myself leave her body. Before anything else could happen, I disappeared back into the Shadows from whence I came.

* * *

I opened my eyes and found myself back in the dorm. As soon as I did, I felt an oppressive air. Just what had happened last night after I had been possessed by my own Shadow? I looked around and saw Labrys in her charging bay. Shouldn't she be at school...? What was going on...? I got up and walked downstairs. There was no one there. But that was to be expected, because school was today, right? I had slept in, apparently. How did they find me, anyway? Even I couldn't get the directions to where Ikutsuki took me. There was a note on the table. I picked it up and took a look. I could see multiple different handwriting styles. It seemed like everyone wrote this note at once.

"Dear Aigis. Hi, Aigis. Sorry that we can't be with you. We're going to be away for a week or two. We're all in the hospital cause of a freak accident last night... Labrys should be in her charging bay right now. She probably won't wake up till tomorrow. Last night... Ikutsuki betrayed us all. He took Mitsuru's father's life... and tried to sacrifice us all to the Fall. We're lucky that your Shadow has a bit of a weakness towards Minato. We all could have died last night. If it wasn't for your Shadow going easy on him, then we wouldn't be here to write this letter. So... uh... You kinda have the dorm to yourself! You're a pretty lucky girl, Aigis! You're also out of school until we come back. I'm sure that you can catch up on all the work. You and Labrys should have some fun together. You must be tired... And Minato- no, all of us- want to talk to you when we get back. It's about... yourself. Well, until then... 'SEES'."

"I did this." I stated. "I almost killed everyone. They're all in the hospital because of me, and Labrys is probably broken! Why are they trying to hide it from me!?"

I sat down on the couch. My head fell into my hands. I tried to stop it from happening... but I wasn't expecting my Shadow to forcefully take over my own body! While I was here, I decided to turn on the news.

"Breaking news! The head of the Kirijo Group, Takeharu Kirijo, was found dead outside of Gekkoukan High today!" I turned the channel. It was the same thing. No matter what channel I went to, there was a report about the death of Mitsuru's father. I shut off the TV and went back into my room. There was nothing for me to do anyway.

Maybe I should just deactivate myself...

No, that's not what anyone would want. As I walked into my room, I saw Labrys doing the opposite.

"So... you're awake." I said. I was surprised when Labrys's face contorted in sadness as she hugged me tightly.

"You're back to normal!" She cried out.

"L-Labrys...?" I looked surprised.

"What? There somethin' on my face?" She asked.

"N-no... it's just... you!" I said. Labrys had finally gained her emotions!

No... that's nothing to celebrate about. It would be better off if she didn't have emotions. It would be better if I didn't have them either. They're just there to hurt people...

"I can tell what you're thinkin' and I don't like it one bit." Labrys said. "You think I shouldn't have emotions, do you? Come on, Aigis! That was something that neither of us could have expected, so why do you look so glum about it! I mean... sure you broke Mitsuru's arm off and you crushed Minato's hand, but that's all in the past!"

"How can you say that!?" I yelled. "That's nothing to not worry about! I almost killed everyone last night, Labrys! And you know what's the cause of it? My emotions! Sometimes I wish that I would become an emotionless shell again!"

Labrys pulled her hand back and balled it into a fist. She punched me before I had a time to react. I fell to the floor and started to rub the spot where she hit me.

"That ain't no way to think." She said. "Emotions are a gift... You have to realize that, Aigis."

"Labrys..." I said, getting up again.

"You know... some real crazy shit happened last night, so of course you're a little shaken by it. Just give it some time, okay? You'll start feeling better. I know you're gonna feel better when Minato comes back. You're always happy when you're around him. I think he's the only one who brings out your true feelings, you know? I bet they're all gonna be surprised when they come back and see two robots full of _emotion_. So don't become some emotionless robot just because of one thing that happened one night, alright?" Labrys said. I couldn't help but smile. Not even five minutes into her having her emotions and she was already making speeches... I couldn't help but agree, though. She was right. I shouldn't be sad because of one thing that happened, no matter how severe.

Everyone screws up... machines don't screw up things, but humans can. I guess... no matter how you thought about it, I really was a human. What does it mean to be a human, anyway? That would be something that I would have to find out on my own. It would be something that only I could find. It would be my answer.

"Hey, Aigis... I want you to spend as much time with me as possible, okay? I want some help adapting to my emotions!" Labrys said.

"Of course I'll help you, Labrys. There's not really much to do, anyway, huh?" I asked.

"Wanna steal Junpei's game system?" Labrys asked with a devious smile on her face.

"You know, I was just about to suggest that." I said. "I'm sure he won't mind."

"I bet I can beat you down." Labrys smirked.

"Oh, you're own, sister!" I ran downstairs to steal Junpei's possessions and ran back to my room with it. I guess that saying's true. Every cloud has a silver lining after all.


	20. A New Priority

It was just me and Labrys for about a week or two, as the letter that I found on the desk said. This could go either one of two ways: It could be the most boring thing that I have ever seen, or it could be pretty interesting. I mean, Labrys does kind of have a personality now so it's not like I'm talking to a wall, but since she has her personality, then I would have to teach her all about what it's like to 'feel', not that it was an easy feat. After all, how do you teach someone how to feel?

You really can't tell someone how to feel, so I guess my best bet is to introduce her to different situations and see how she reacts. I can't tell her how, because it's her own life. I can't command her like we used to before.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, Aigis?" Oh, now that she has her personality, she won't leave me alone. It's like dealing with a very clingy child. However, I was like this too when I got my personality, so there's no room for me to judge her for it. It wouldn't be fair.

"I'm just thinking about what it's going to be like for the next week or two." I responded. "I mean... it's just us. Alone. With nothing to do except for steal Junpei's games."

"But I like stealin' his games." Labrys smiled mischievously. Labrys ran upstairs to go get Junpei's things for the fifth time this week. It's like she's obsessed with him! I soon realized the impact of what I just thought. Could Labrys... like Junpei? I'd have to ask her if I remembered. As I sat there, waiting for Labrys to come back from the abyss that was Junpei's room, I wondered how the others were doing. I heard from Labrys that my Shadow did a real number to them.

Just as I thought that, my internal phone went off. I picked it up.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, Ai-chan! It's me!" I heard Junpei's voice.

"J-Junpei-kun! Aren't you not allowed to use your phone in a hospital!?" I asked.

"Hey, what the lovely nurses don't know won't hurt 'em! Me and the squad's all in the same room together, so that's a bit of a plus. The girls on one side and the guys on the other. Like Mitsuru-senpai said, we should be back in a week or two, so just hang tight there. Hey, did Labrys wake up yet?" Junpei asked.

"I forgot that you weren't one for rules, Junpei..." I laughed. "And yeah, Labrys is up."

"Who ya talkin' to?" Labrys asked.

"Woah, did you invite someone over or something!?" Junpei asked.

"No, that's Labrys." I said. "You should really recognize voices better, Junpei-kun."

"You talkin' to Junpei-kun? Tell him I said "hi"!" Labrys smiled at me.

"And she says hi." I added.

"She sounds totally different, dude! Hand her the phone! Her voice is kinda cute..."

"Is that all you think about? Oh, and I can't hand her the phone because I would have to hand my own body to her." I said.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot that you guys work differently than us." Junpei said.

"Is that Aigis?" I heard Akihiko ask. From the sound of it, he was right next to Junpei.

"Yeah." Junpei said. "You wanna talk to her a bit? Ribs are kinda hurting again..."

Great... now I feel bad.

"Aigis, hey." Akihiko said. "I just wanted to say that you're really, really strong."

"Is that really all that you wanted to say?" I asked.

"Well no, I also wanted to ask you if you could teach me how you did that move against me. You know, the one where you jumped really high into the air?" Akihiko asked.

"Uh... I don't remember a damned thing after my Shadow possessed me. Sorry, Akihiko. And if it's what I'm thinking it did, then it's impossible for you to do it. You don't have rocket boosters."

"Oh... damn." Akihiko said. "Minato wants to talk, so I'm handing the phone to him."

I felt a pang in my heart. I didn't think it was going to be like this. I didn't think I was going to feel like this at the mention of Minato. I heard the phone being handed to Minato, and I clammed up. What was I going to say? I'm sorry that my Shadow took over my body and crushed your hand?

"H...Hi." I managed to say. Labrys smiled at me, covering her mouth with her hand so she wouldn't laugh. I shot her a dirty look so that she knew that that was not okay. She rolled her eyes at me and mouthed "Can't I joke around?" to me.

"Hey Aigis. What's going on on your end. I guess you can already tell what I'm up to. This is kinda rare for me to say, but I miss you." Minato said.

"I... I miss you too." I responded. I was shaking for no reason. Minato wasn't going to yell at me for hurting him like I thought he was going to do... He just wanted to talk to me... Why did I always get so scared around Minato? Or... maybe it wasn't fear... maybe it was just me being nervous. Minato was the hardest person to read. He had an erratic pattern to him. I could never predict what he was going to do, unlike Junpei. Labrys was lucky that she was falling for a guy like him. She could instantly tell what he was going to do. She was already starting to mimic him.

"You okay there, Aigis? Are you breaking up on your end?" Minato asked.

"No, no. I'm just a little shaken from that incident last night. Still recovering. You don't know how hard it is to recover from your Shadow possessing you and forcefully using your body to break everyone's limbs." I said. When I was around Minato, I tended to just blurt out random things. I guess that was a side effect of love...

I'm getting sappy.

"I feel it." Minato said. "You know, I heard your Shadow last night. The things that it said kind of got to me. It was saying things about how it hated life because it was nothing but a mere machine. It said that it wanted to not feel anything to avoid the pain of living. Aigis... Junpei told me that what that Shadow said is what you feel."

"Why did Junpei have to tell you that!?" I groaned. I couldn't deal with this! Not now!

"Because I was worried!" Came Minato's stern response. "And also... because... sometimes, I feel like that too. I feel like having no emotions would save me from pain. But you know? I know what can save me from that thought. There's a very special thing in my life that every day helps me overcome that fear of living, helps me overcome that want for death."

"What's that thing...?" I asked. Minato was like that too? Minato thought the same thing as me? My Shadow... it told Minato everything, didn't it? It wanted him to know what I felt inside... didn't it? Was it... doing it's own thing to help me out? Or was it just trying to mess with Minato's mind? I wasn't about to go out and find it to find out.

"You know, I would have thought that you would know already. I'm talking about you, Aigis. I guess you could say that you're the reason that I keep on living. I mean... yeah, I got close friends in SEES, but you're the most important thing in my life. There's nothing more in this world that I care about more than you. There's something about you that just... clicks with me. I know I've told you this so many times, Aigis, but I love you." Minato said. I could feel myself smile. A sigh came out of my mouth.

"And you know... as soon as I get home... let's spend some time together." Minato whispered.

"Don't we already spend a lot of time together?" I asked. I was getting wary of what he was saying. Minato was a very romantic person, but there were times when he got a little bit dark. Is this one of his dark moments? I mean... he is whispering, so I could guess that he was referencing...

My face became as red as Labrys's eyes.

"I guess from that pause you know what I mean." Minato said. "I'll actually be home faster than the others. Actually, I'll be there in two days. Your Shadow... it did a real amazing thing last night that showed that you care for me the same way that I care for you. The most severe was Mitsuru... But when it got to me... it only crushed a few bones in my hand, and not the whole thing. She held back on me."

"My Shadow... held back on you?" I asked. "So... I guess that means that even that cruel monster can love."

"I think that your Shadow depends on me, too." Minato said. "But yeah. I'll be home in a few days, so why don't you get yourself ready for me for when I come home, alright, Ai-chan? I can't wait. I'll prove my love for you."

"Minato... that's so lewd..." I grabbed at my face to cover the redness of it. Labrys started snickering.

"Alright, I gotta go now, Aigis. I'll be seeing you later." Minato hung up the phone.

Labrys started clapping.

"Looks like someone was cordially invited to get lucky!" Labrys said.

"Labrys, shut up." I said. "Go talk to the toaster!"

"I don't do that anymore!" Labrys yelled.

* * *

"You know, you've got some nerve Minato Arisato!" I yelled. Minato had finally returned from the hospital. We were sitting down on the bed of his room. His room.

"If you're gonna hit watch the hand! It still hurts..." Minato warned.

"Making a girl wait like that! Do you know how agonizing it was waiting for you to get back!?"

"Geez, calm down!" Minato smiled. "You must have been so... I really don't know how to say it."

"No, it wasn't that! It was actually part of it... but that wasn't the point. You wouldn't believe how Labrys was treating me!" I said.

"Labrys is a damned wall, how could she have treated you wrong?" Minato asked.

"What're you sayin' about me, Minato-kun!?" Labrys yelled from outside.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" I yelled.

"No, I gotta hear this!" Labrys yelled back.

"Wait, she has a personality now?" Minato asked.

"Yeah. But this isn't about her, this is about you and me, right? You said that you'd... show me how much you love me." I said, blushing.

"Don't put it like that... it makes me feel weird." Minato said.

"This is really uncomfortable..." I shifted to the left.

"Let's talk before we do anything." Minato said. "Your Shadow... no- I should really say you- are really tormented, huh? I understand how you feel. You and me are two sides of the same coin. You never had anything that was remotely close to a parent, and mine were lost when I was young in that car crash."

Is that what they told him?

"We also don't have any place to call home. Not except for the dorm. I know that the lab that you were in wasn't really a home. I guess I made it kinda homey because of the fact that you were there with me when I was a little kid."

"Did I mention that you were adorable when you were a kid? I still have pictures that I saved." I said.

"You're embarrassing me." Minato groaned.

"Aww... how sweet!" Labrys said from the other end of the door.

"Shut up!" Minato and I both yelled. There's no reason that she should be here and be doing that. That was just rude. I couldn't spend any quality time with Minato if she was outside the door.

Quality time? Is that what I'm calling it now?

"But as I was saying... There's a lot of stuff that makes us alike. Your Shadow told us all everything that day. So I'm going to repair the favor. I'll tell you everything about myself. Where do you want me to start?" Minato asked.

"Start at the orphanage. After what happened at the bridge. I know what happened at the lab. I was there." I said.

"Alright. We'll start from there." Minato nodded. I leaned back into his bed. Minato, in return, lied down next to me. He pulled me in close for a hug. He wouldn't let go.

"So, day one at the orphanage... I was really confused. I felt alone. Like, really alone. The main point was that my parents died, but I guess it was more so the fact that you weren't there as well. I promised you that I would stay with you, and it angered me that I couldn't keep that promise. Come to think about it, I guess I'm still mad about that today. At the orphanage, I started getting some crazy ideas in my head. I started thinking about what it would be like if I wasn't there anymore. As in... what would it be like if I was dead? I wanted to just... go to sleep and never wake up. All of my thoughts started at the orphanage, didn't they? I guess that was where I screwed up. It's things like that that make me seem like Ikutsuki. I shared the same viewpoints as him. And I guarantee that if I hadn't met you guys I would be in the same position as him. Hell, I would probably be with Takaya and Strega. But I know that that was the furthest thing that my parents wanted. I know that I might never get over my parents' death, but it's something that I want to try. When I'm with you, I feel a whole lot of things that aren't related to death and despair. I think about happiness. Of the future... of our future."

"Minato..." I said.

"I want to be with you, Aigis. We really never had a chance to sit down like this and talk, huh? This may seem a bit crazy, even for me, but I want you to have this. I had got another pair of these... I bought them for you for your birthday, or should we say "activation day"? Anyway... here. Take them. They're yours now." Minato did the most unexpected thing... he took his headphones and MP3 and handed them to me. I could feel the gratitude that he had towards me in that motion. Minato really did care about me...

"These are your headphones!" I said.

"I have others. And besides. They're not my headphones. They're yours." Minato smiled at me. It was an honest, genuine smile. What he said was true. He was a completely different person around me. I wished that he was like this at all times. This Minato... the one that I see whenever I'm with him... I feel like it's the him that wants to be let out to the world.

"You know... when I'm with you, I can be true to myself. I find myself always thinking about you anymore. I can't not think about you. You're the only thing on my mind nowadays. In school, I always try to just stare at you the whole day. You're a beautiful person, Aigis. I'm glad that you're my girlfriend." Minato said. "Now then... I think we have some business to take care of..."

Was that what I think it was? Minato... he was actually blushing!

"Huh!?" Minato's eyes widened. "What's going on?"

"Minato?" I asked, looking at him worried. What was happening to him? Above him, Orpheus was floating.

"Orpheus...?" Minato asked, looking at his Persona quizzically. Orpheus started to change. A bright white light covered him. When the light disappeared, Thanatos was in his place. "He changed!" His new Persona disappeared inside of him. He looked at me with a look of pure joy on his face.

"So this is what that old guy in the elevator was talking about... as our bonds tighten, our power grows stronger! So... he's my Persona now, huh?" Minato asked. "But enough stalling... like I said before, we have some things to do."

I spent a long time with Minato...

* * *

The next day I woke up in a foreign bed with my arms wrapped around something. As soon as I got my bearings, I realized that I was in Minato's room still, and I was hugging him. He must have woken me up with his snoring.

Why was I in here, again? I looked around for any indication as to why, and found it in the corner of the room. My clothes, along with his, were there.

"...No, just a few more minutes, Mitsuru-senpai... I don't wanna wake up yet..." I heard Minato groan from next to me. A few seconds later, his alarm clock went off. Still half asleep, Minato reached for it with his eyes still shut. It took him a while to reach it, even grabbing me in a few places at first, but he found it and slammed down on it. He rose up from his bed and yawned.

"Mornin' sleepy head..." I said.

"Mornin', Aigis..." Minato did a double take. "What are you doing in my bed!?"

"What else would I be doing in here...?" I asked. I was still half asleep myself. "I don't remember anything about last night... you'd better inform me."

"That's right... We... heheheh..." Minato laughed sheepishly. "We should probably get out of bed."

* * *

After finally putting some clothes on, the two of us walked downstairs and into the lounge. Labrys was there snickering at me as I sat down on the couch.

"So, how was it?" Labrys asked. "Enjoy your quality time?"

"If you put it like that, then yeah. We talked about a lot of stuff." I said.

"No, I meant the thing that Minato said he'd do to you on the phone." Labrys smiled.

"Shut up, Labrys... I swear Junpei's influencing you." I said.

"I ain't stayin away from him if that's what you're sayin." Labrys said.

"So, what do we do until the others come back?" Minato asked.

"Well, we normally steal Junpei's stuff." Labrys said. "I wonder what his face'll be like when he finds out that I've been takin his shit..."

"You two are really something else..." Minato commented, shaking his head.

* * *

Slowly, the other members of the team were coming back from the hospital. At first, it was Akihiko. Then came Junpei, and Yukari, and Fuuka, and then Shinjiro. The only one missing was Mitsuru. I heard that she got it the worst. I knew why. My Shadow... it hates the Kirijos.

Minato was spending a lot more time with me, and the others were surprised at first. It was unusual for Minato to be so... clingy towards someone. It was odd for me also as I thought I was the clingy one. Ever since Minato opened up to me in his room...

Well, we had taken our relationship a bit further... If you could even say that. If I were to put this in Junpei's terms... I believe he called it "fourth base".

"You guys are really close lately..." Akihiko said. "What's up?"

"Oh yeah, they've been close alright..." Labrys rolled her eyes. Everyone's initial reaction to Labrys not sounding like a monotone robot all the time was shock. The one who was impacted the most by it was Junpei, oddly enough. I suppose that I WAS right in my assumption that those two were hiding some emotions for each other.

"What do you mean...?" Yukari asked.

"Well... uh..." I rubbed the back of my head. Minato started playing around with the headphones that he got himself after he gave me his.

"What did you two do?" Akihiko asked.

"Each other!" Labrys blurted out.

My face went as red as a tomato. Junpei stood up and started to slowly clap.

"I'm proud of you two." He said, putting one hand on each of our shoulders.

"Can't we just drop this conversation now?" I asked.

"Yeah. Let's talk about something a little bit more important. I think what happened last week traumatized her. I don't think that she's going to be okay for a while. So let's just try not to mention Tartarus or Shadows or even the Dark Hour." Akihiko said. "That bastard... he killed Mitsuru's father... I saw her... just holding his limp body in her hands... and I couldn't say a damned word. There was nothing that we could do... And the worst part... He got away too."

"Yukari, I found something. Looks like you'd be interested in it." Shinjiro walked up to Yukari and handed her a CD. Yukari stared at it for a bit, and then ran up into her room.

"What was on that CD?" Fuuka asked.

"It was something that I found clearing out that bastard's stuff." Shinjiro said. "It was the original video of her father. It thought it was best for her to watch it."

"That was really thoughtful of you, Shinjiro-senpai." Junpei said.

"Yeah, well... at times like these I think that it's best for us to come together as one." Shinjiro said. "We're going to get nowhere if we continue to keep on sulking about what happened last week. What happened happened and that's that, okay?"

"I think we should go to Tartarus tonight." I said. "Things could have changed in there, and it's a good place to get stronger."

* * *

We all gathered around the base of Tartarus. It was kind of odd not being there with Mitsuru and not having that big motorcycle in the center that she was always so anal about.

The rules of that motorcycle were as follows: Do not touch the motorcycle. If you touch the motorcycle, you will be executed, no questions asked.

"Before we get anywhere, do you know what they put in the newspaper?" Akihiko asked with a look of disgust in his face.

"The one that just came today, right? I heard that it said Mitsuru's father died of an illness..." Shinjiro said. "What a load of bullshit."

"Mitsuru-senpai must be pissed to all hell... And add that to the fact that everyone got out early because we didn't get hurt as bad as her..." Junpei sighed. "Everything's just a mess now..."

"She's an only child, so there's a lot of matters to be settled, including the funeral and the family business. I'm sure she'll be busy for at least a week. That's just gonna make her even more pissed." Yukari said.

"What are we going to do...?" Fuuka sighed.

"We'll just have to keep moving on. Fight the Shadows that appear. Something'll come up." Akihiko said. "But if we need a primary objective, then how about getting those old documents that show up every time we find a barrier? Maybe if we collect them we can find out just what was going on during that incident ten years ago."

"Good idea senpai!" Fuuka said. "We should get right to work! Minato-kun, choose who's going to go with you."

"You know he's picking Aigis..." Junpei noted. But it wasn't with a hint of disgust in his voice, so that was a good thing. I guess.

"Yeah, what about it? I'll take Shinjiro-senpai and Labrys along with me, too." Minato said. "The rest of you, stay here and protect Fuuka."

The team that was staying with Fuuka nodded at their new orders.

* * *

"Well... this is a new Shadow..." Shinjiro commented. "Never seen one like this." There was a red tank rolling around the floor of Tartarus that we were on. It looked like it was a powerful one, and Fuuka had said that we shouldn't go anywhere near it. And so, we were running away from it, hiding whenever it came by. There was nothing like it that I've seen before. I don't remember there being a tank Shadow before... but then again, my memory was kinda fuzzy about the normal Shadows in Tartarus.

Minato always thought that it was weird considering I have memory banks. But ever since I obtained my humanity, I started experiencing memories like normal human beings. Sure I still had my banks and all, but I relied on my human instincts much more now.

"As long as we follow Fuuka's advice and stay away from that thing we'll be fine." Minato said.

"You're the boss, boss." Labrys said. "I'll make sure to keep away from that thing."

"I'm never going to get used to you." Shinjiro said. "It's the biggest change that I've ever seen. One minute you're emotionless and now you're sounding like some gangster on the street."

"Hey, you sayin somethin about my voice?" Labrys glared at Shinjiro.

"No, I'm just making a comment. I guess you can't take a joke." He responded.

Labrys once again glared at Shinjiro before we moved on.

"Um... there seems to be a powerful presence on the floor ahead." Fuuka said. "You might want to be careful before you go up there. If we defeat it, we'll reach another barrier. So after you defeat that Shadow, please come back to the base of Tartarus."

We reached the floor that Fuuka said the Guardian was on. Passing a few corridors, we found our way to Shadows that were made out of grey bricks. They were holding what looked like a Balance Shadow in their hand, and were wielding massive swords.

"There they are! Be careful when fighting them, they're strong. Their arcana is Justice." Fuuka said. My scanners identified them as a "Stasis Giant".

"Alright, let's go for a full assault!" Minato ordered. I jumped to the sky and started firing at the Stasis Giant on the right. I was going to target that one for the fight while the others could do whatever they wanted to do. The bullets ricocheted off the Shadow without it feeling a thing.

"Bullets aren't working!" I announced as I tried my missiles. I stood back and spread my legs apart to help with balance. The missiles that I loaded into myself packed quite the wallop. My body started shaking at the sheer force of the missiles. Missile after missile hit the Stasis Giant, but they didn't seem to have any effect as well.

"That's one down!" I heard Shinjiro announce. I would have to step up my game if I wanted to catch up.

"Persona!" I cried out, summoning Athena. It rose it's spear up into the air to use as a lightning rod. Lighting struck the spear and Athena drew her arm back. She then launched the thunder-charged spear towards the Stasis Giant. The spear pierced it right in the head, making it fall over. Although it had struggled to get up, it still seemed to be alive and kicking. The attack that Athena did wasn't going to be the only thing that would take this down. I'm lucky that I had given Athena Ziodyne to use from a skill card, though. Without it, she would only be limited to strike and pierce attacks. I had at least gave each of my Personas one "elemental" attack so that they wouldn't be attacking powerhouses.

Thanatos was up next, grabbing one of his coffins and opening it. Inside was a mass of flames that shot out one by one at the Stasis Giant. Finally, the Shadow had been defeated. There was only one left. Minato was working on that one while Labrys was providing support for him. Shinjiro had also joined in the battle against the Shadow. I guess it was my turn to join in as well! I jumped towards the Shadow like I did to the other one and fired some missiles at it as a way to distract it while the others did their work on it. Knowing that it wouldn't hurt it I could just pelt it with missiles and bullets to annoy it. Soon, Minato summoned his Thanatos to attack the Stasis Giant, killing it in one blow.

"Alright! You did it! Amazing job." Fuuka said. "The old document is just up ahead. Retrieve it and come back down."

On the next floor, we saw the barrier that obstructed our path. Beside it was a treasure chest. Usually a document was inside the chest, and this time it was, so lucky us.

Minato said that we should call it a day because he was getting tired. Funny thing was, after he said that, I started to feel tired myself. That boy has such an impact on me... and I have that same impact on him.

I smiled to myself as I jumped into my bed back at home. I knew that we would be together with each other for all of eternity. Nothing would split us apart anymore.

"You feelin' better, Aigis?" Labrys asked. "You know he did all of what he did for you, right? That's how much he cares. No one could care about a mere robot like that."

"Yes, I'm feeling much better, Labrys." I said. "Now I'm going to go to bed. I'm really sleepy."

"Same here." Labrys said. "Night, sis."

"Goodnight, sister."


	21. Kyoto

"Wake up, sleeping beauty. We've got school today and you ain't skippin today." Labrys said, shaking my body. I slowly stirred awake, and shot her a nasty glare.

"Do you really have to shake so hard?" I asked irritably. I was already feeling horrible.

Today was not going to be a good day, I could feel it already.

Even though I went to school, I had slept through class anyway. As soon as class ended, I went to my usual spot: the roof of the school. I loved standing there and watching the clouds...

"Woah... who are you!?" I heard a voice ask. I turned around to see a pale boy with black hair. He was wearing black pants and a white shirt. Around his neck was a yellow scarf. This boy was Ryoji Mochizuki. He was Death. The thirteenth Arcana Shadow. He used to be my mortal enemy.

But now... I don't think I feel too much hate towards him. I don't understand why, but there was something about him that made me not want to hurt him anymore.

Was it the fact that he really wasn't compromising Minato's safety? I guess that was it. Still though, such a radical change in me was odd.

I suppose it was from that night I spent with Minato. We did talk about a lot of things.

"I'm Aigis." I said. I still haven't came up with a last name for myself. There's nothing more weird than someone who only has a first name. It would draw attention towards me, and if people found out that I was a robot... then that would be a disaster. I would never hear the end of it.

"I... I'm Ryoji... Ryoji Mochizuki... I'm sorry, your beauty has me at a loss for words..." He responded. I know that it was technically okay for him to say that because he could be considered the Shadow of Minato. However, it's the same case as Metis for me. I wondered if everyone had a non-hostile inner emotion?

"Really now?" I asked. I couldn't help but want to play around with him for a little bit.

"Your skin... your hair, your eyes... everything about you is amazing! It's a surprise that you're not up here with anyone..." Ryoji said.

"Well, I'm sure that Minato is getting something. He was going to meet me up here like he always does." I responded. It's become a habit of him to be with me wherever I go. It wasn't as bad as when Labrys was attached to me like a lost puppy. With him it was actually quite endearing. But with Labrys it was embarrassing. I wonder why I felt that way?

"Minato...? Oh, you mean that boy that I sit next to from now on! You know that I sit with you, too, right? I could tell that you were sleeping though, so it really wouldn't matter, haha..." Ryoji said, fumbling around with his scarf. I think my feelings of him have lightened up just for the fact that he was basically another Minato. And I was absolutely crazy about him.

"Hey, Aigis! Glad to see that you finally met Ryoji today!" Minato called to me. He came up the stairs running. He stopped at my side and turned around to look at Ryoji. "Ryoji, this is Aigis, Aigis, this is Ryoji."

"We've already met, but thanks anyway, Minato. You know, she's very stunning. She's like the epitome of beauty! They should have a statue of you, capturing your beauty!" Ryoji said. No matter what that boy said, he made me blush wildly. Since Minato wasn't the type of person to flirt- he'd rather get right to it, example being how graciously he said that he wanted to take our relationship to the next level- Ryoji was the opposite. Really, Ryoji's personality depended on Minato's.

I thought about how funny it would be if I were to just repeat this one year over and over to see how many kinds of Ryoji's I could make. Maybe I could make an edgy anti-hero! Or maybe some type of girly man! The possibilities were endless!

"I sure do know how to pick 'em, don't I? But looks aren't everything, Ryoji. Aigis has the voice of an angel, and she's got the perfect personality for me! We just... click!" Minato beamed at me.

"Wow... I wish I was as lucky as you, Minato." Ryoji said.

"The voice of an angel...? Now I know that you're just joking with me." I said.

"Who knows if I am or not? You said that I was incredibly hard to read." Minato smirked at me.

"Touche." I returned.

"So, what brings you up here, Ryoji-kun?" I asked.

"Well, I just wanted to explore the school because I'm so new to it. This was actually my last stop. Glad I decided to come here when I came here, or else I wouldn't have met the goddess that was before me..." Ryoji bowed.

It was obvious by the look on Minato's faced that he wasn't all too pleased with Ryoji's comment. But, I guess he let it slide.

"You know, we're going on that school trip soon. Mitsuru's coming back from the hospital as well." Minato said.

"Mitsuru? Who's that? And why was she at the hospital?" Ryoji asked. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah, she got in a car crash while she was out driving with her friends." Minato said. If I was an ordinary person, I wouldn't be able to tell that Minato was lying. He was good. Very good. That was bad.

"Well, I hope that your friend feels better. I should be going home now." Ryoji said. I watched him as he went back into the school and left the building.

"Hey Ai-chan." Minato said. "How's it going?"

"I'm fine, how about you?" I asked. Minato sat down along with me and pulled me close to him.

"I'm feeling better now that I saw you today." Minato said.

"Can't you two just get a room?" I looked up to see Labrys leaning against the wall with her foot holding her up.

"Oh, be quiet, Labrys." Minato said. "I'm trying to be romantic with my girlfriend..."

"And you were doing such a good job, too..." I said sarcastically. He's much better at sudden advances than he is at being romantic.

"Now my girlfriend's ragging on me..." Minato said.

* * *

"Hey, Aigis!" Yukari walked into the door with a big smile on her face. "Finally, a break from school! Did you hear about the class trip? We're going to Kyoto!" She sat down beside me on the couch. I put the book that I was reading down and sat back.

"Kyoto? I heard that place has some really good hot springs." I said.

"Of course, Aigis!" Yukari said. "It'll be a time to relax and have some fun! Mitsuru-senpai should be out of the hospital by then, so that's a good thing."

"Speaking of Mitsuru-senpai, have we heard anything from her yet? She hasn't been keeping in contact with us a tall. It's like she's distancing herself from SEES." I said.

"I know how you feel... I'm worried about Senpai as well. Why don't we go and see what's going on with her? Let's go to the hospital." Yukari suggested. It was a good idea. I wanted to go and see how Mitsuru was doing as well, and this was the perfect excuse. At least with a friend as close as Yukari nothing bad would happen.

I grabbed my things and walked out of the door with Yukari. I still had a feeling that Mitsuru would be mad at me for what happened, but talking to the others and seeing that they were far from mad, and were actually willing to help me accept my Shadow for what it was, nothing that Mitsuru would say would be too bad.

We arrived at the hospital and walked up to Mitsuru's room after checking in. She was laying down in bed with a cast on her arm. It was being held very carefully, so it wouldn't hurt her.

"Hey, Mitsuru-senpai! It's us. We came to see you." Yukari said, waving at her. She took a seat on the opposite side of Mitsuru. I took the seat next to her.

"Oh. Hello, Takeba. Aigis." Mitsuru said. She sounded like a zombie.

"Are you... alright...?" I asked. I wanted to be careful with my words. Mitsuru, when she was like this, was a person that was easily riled. I wouldn't want to get on her bad side.

"Alright...? Does it look like I'm fine...?" Mitsuru asked.

"The Student Council members are pretty busy lately, what with the school trip and all. I could guess that they have their hands pretty full, considering it's for both juniors and seniors. Luckily, you're going to be out of the hospital in time to go with us." Yukari said, changing the subject. I let out a sigh of relief.

"The class trip, huh? ...Even if I went I would just bring down on the fun." Mitsuru shut her eyes.

"Are you... going to skip it?" I asked. I was answered only by silence. "You can't do that!"

"I've been meaning to talk to you." Yukari said.

"...Is that so?" Mitsuru asked, opening her eyes and raising her brow.

"To tell you the truth, you're not the easiest person to relate to, but I know what it's like to lose a father." Yukari said. I looked at the two of them. Mitsuru's face fell, and Yukari's mood shifted from happy to sorrowful.

"Takeba..." Mitsuru said.

"I decided that I should be more upfront with you from now on." Yukari said. "We have a new goal in mind now since there's nothing to really do. We're getting all of the old documents that we can find from the barrier floors of Tartarus so that we can piece together the meaning behind the tower and what it's here for. Maybe if we find out it's secret we can get rid of the Dark Hour."

"And who made that decision?" Mitsuru asked.

"Akihiko-senpai did." I responded. "Before we get serious, however, we've been waiting for you to get better. Today is the day that you're supposed to come home, correct?"

"Yes, today is the day..." Mitsuru looked at me straight in the eyes. A wave of fear shot over me. I could sense the resentment. "I've been lonely, lately."

"Senpai, you're not blaming Aigis for this...!?" Yukari asked.

"Go." Mitsuru commanded. "I'll return to the dorm in time for the school trip."

"Senpai, that's not right! She's tormented inside just as much as you!" Yukari stood up and glared at her.

"Go. I will return to the dorm in time for the school trip." Mitsuru repeated. Yukari sighed in disgust and turned to me.

"Let's go, Aigis." Yukari said.

* * *

"Hello, Aigis-chan!" Ryoji caught me at the gates of school. Today was the school trip, and I wanted to get there early so that I wouldn't be late for the train. Unfortunately for a certain someone, that meant dragging him along with me.

"Good morning, Ryoji-kun!" I greeted.

"Today's the school trip! I'm very excited. I can't wait to see Kyoto. Junpei's not feeling too hot about it. He says that Kyoto's boring... how wrong he is!"

"I have to agree with you on that one, Ryoji." I said. "Kyoto is a nice place to go to. It's good for a break."

We boarded the train for the trip. I, of course, persuaded Minato to sit next to me.

Although, I can't consider grabbing someone by the arm and pulling them along with you to be good persuasion. Ryoji had managed to squeeze in between us, much to my dismay. Ryoji was kind of cute, don't get me wrong, but I had eyes only for the full package, not a part of it.

"If there's one person I can't wait to see in a yukata, it's you, Aigis." Ryoji said.

"Can you stop anytime soon, Ryoji?" Minato asked. "That's my girlfriend."

"Sorry, Minato... I'm just appreciating her superb beauty." Ryoji said.

The rest of the train ride was pretty tame. I sat back and decided to use those headphones that Minato gave to me. It was something that I would cherish forever. These were worn by him, and now they're going to be worn by me. It's like we're one! Only in music form.

The train stopped. The rest of the team walked out first. I was the last along with Minato and Ryoji.

"Kyoto, huh? Talk about boring." Junpei said.

"You don't like it? Personally, I think it's one of the most beautiful places in the world." Ryoji said. The sun was already beginning to set as we walked into the inn that we were to stay in.

The inn was very traditional. The red carpet was very soft and the walls were colored a bright yellow. There were red umbrellas stationed on the ground and some old plants decorated the ends of the rooms. Ryoji was definitely right. This place was utterly amazingly beautiful.

"We're finally here!" Junpei said, throwing his hands up into the air. "Whoa, nice place!"

"Well, it is an expensive area after all." Yukari said.

"Hey, what are these umbrellas for?" Ryoji asked, walking up to one. He examined it closely.

"I have no idea. It might be just for scenery." Minato responded.

"So that's the style here in Kyoto, huh? Now then... can someone direct me to the geishas?"

"That's right! I forgot about that! Count me in!" Junpei said, leaning forward in excitement.

"You two are disgusting..." Yukari and I said at the same time.

We walked forward to a door that you could see through. Outside were the hot springs. In my case, the main event. I had a devious plan going on in my head. I was going to find a way to sneak in while the boys were out there, just so I could get a peek at Minato.

"So, Ryoji, where were you going to go for your school trip at you old school? Somewhere interesting, I bet. Kyoto's... typical." Junpei said.

"Hmm... I don't really remember." Ryoji said.

"But the school trip is the highlight of the year. How could you not remember?" Fuuka asked. Ms. Toriumi walked up to us, still with the clipboard in her hands. She was attached to that the same way that Minato was attached to his headphones.

"Come on, you can talk later. You're blocking the hallway." She said.

"Yeah, we should be getting to our rooms, shouldn't we?" Yukari asked.

"The girls rooms are that way. Why don't you go and get ready?" Toriumi said, pointing to the left.

"You heard her, girls!" Junpei smiled. I knew that smile. I turned my head back to the other three.

"He's going to try something." I warned.

"...Busted..." Junpei sighed, slumping his shoulders.

The others took off along with me to our room. We were going to share one for the time being.

"Don't you think it's kinda weird how Ryoji couldn't remember anything about his school?" Labrys asked. "If you ask me, that's kinda strange."

"I know, I thought so too. But, it seems like there are some people who just don't care. Maybe Ryoji's one of them. And if it was a boring place to go, then he was obviously going to forget it." Yukari said. "By the way... have you seen Mitsuru-senpai?"

"No, I haven't." I said. "Is there something wrong?"

"I wanted to go speak with her. You should come along too, Aigis." Yukari said. I finished unpacking along with Yukari and walked outside with her to go and find Mitsuru. I, too, had wanted to speak with her.

* * *

We found Mitsuru at the riverbank. She was standing underneath the starry night sky, looking down at the water. She didn't seem like she was alright.

"Maybe we should leave her alone..." I said. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

No, actually, maybe we should stay. I could feel something's presence.

"Senpai, we should head back! We don't want to miss curfew." Yukari said. Looks like we were going anyway. "The later it gets, the more crowded the Shijou becomes."

"Why are you still concerned about me? Our days of fighting together are over. We have no common goal to fight for, no enemies to defeat... no reason to be friends." Mitsuru said.

Oh. Now I knew why I should stay. This time I felt two presences, and they were going off the charts in my Shadow radar. Would I have to fight two at once? That wasn't a good sign. Another thing that should have tipped me off was that it was close to the Dark Hour.

"That's not true." Yukari said. This was a conversation only meant for them. I could feel it.

"We've reached our conclusion. You saw what happened. There's no reason for us to fight anymore. What good is getting those documents going to do when we don't have a common goal? It's over. Everything I believed in was a lie... I've failed." Mitsuru said.

"What do you mean by that!? You failed to protect the most important person in your life, is that what you were going to say? You said that you were atoning for what the Kirijo Group did in the past, but that's obviously not true. You were only fighting to protect your dad." Yukari said.

"You're exactly right!" Mitsuru yelled. "I fought to protect him, and look what happened! My trust for the Chairman blinded me, and I fell right into his trap! There was nothing I could do! My father placed his responsibility on him alone! Ever since the incident, he looked as if he were dead inside. I fought to release the guilt that was inside of him! But my efforts were futile! And my life is now without meaning... is that right?"

In 5... 4... 3...

Yukari ran towards Mitsuru and then slapped her across the face. As she did that, the Dark Hour hit.

"There they are..." I thought aloud.

"That's right! Your life is without meaning!" One Shadow appeared.

"W-What!? What is this monster!?" Mitsuru asked, backing away from it.

"It's a Shadow..." Yukari said. "So... everyone has one inside of them..."

"That's right!" There's the second one!

Shadow Mitsuru and Shadow Yukari walked out from the darkness that they were hiding in.

"You both fought so hard to protect your fathers... But it was all for naught." Shadow Mitsuru said.

"And the most hilarious thing about that... is the fact that they didn't love you! Another thing that came from that is the fact that you're always so dependent on people... You need someone in your life that can fill the gap that your father left. You as well_, Senpai_." Shadow Yukari said.

"By now you should realize that your life is a failure, Mitsuru. You abandoned everything else. The only thing that you were living for was your own selfish desire to protect your father and clear the Kirijo name. But was it really protecting your father? Or did you just want to make sure that your name wasn't tarnished my the sins of your father?" Shadow Mitsuru asked.

"No..." Mitsuru said.

"No, is right..." I whispered. If she wasn't going to accept the Shadow for what it was, then there would be a real brawl on our hands. If Yukari didn't accept hers as well... then I don't know how I'm going to defeat them both at the same time. They have completely different attacks... there's not this one magical Persona that I have that can aid me in this fight.

"You're not telling the truth..." Mitsuru continued.

"Senpai, no!" Yukari said. "You have to accept it!"

"Don't act like you weren't doing the same, you stupid skank!" Shadow Yukari said. "All you were doing was trying to find an answer for that question of "why did daddy leave?" It wasn't anything else but that. You didn't care about your father at all! The only thing that you both care about are your own selfish desires!"

"Stop!" Yukari yelled. "Stop saying those lies!"

"You... You are not me!" Mitsuru shouted.

"Son of a bitch." I groaned. I should have tried to stop them, but there was no way that I could talk sense into them. Shadows really knew how to get under someone's skin and rile them up to the point that words have no meaning to them.

"You're right! We're our own person, now!" Shadow Yukari said. "I can feel the power building up inside..."

"We are Shadows... the true selves." Mitsuru's Shadow began. "I'll help you all out of your pitiful struggle of life. Your lives have no meaning whatsoever... so I'll just kill you right here."

"A-Aigis!?" I heard the distressed voice of Fuuka ask. "I sense two powerful Shadows!"

"Nice of you to join me, Fuuka!" I said. "I kinda need some backup here! There's two of them at once!"

"I'm on it! I'll go and get the others now! Please, hang in there!" Fuuka said. I nodded as Shadow Mitsuru dashed towards me. She drew her rapier and tried to slash me with it. I ducked underneath it only to find an arrow get shot at me. I tried to get out of the way of it, but the arrow was too fast.

"You! You're the one who killed my father!" Shadow Mitsuru said. "I'll never forgive you!"

"Is that what this is about?" I asked, coming up from my duck with an uppercut. Shadow Mitsuru was sent flying into the air from the force of the punch, and I aimed at her and fired.

Although the Shadow had a human appearance, it was still a Shadow, so bullets would work like it normally did for a normal Shadow. I would have to use many against them if I was going to win. Shadow Mitsuru came back from her fall with a swipe at my feet. I jumped over the rapier and used her head to jump off of again. I aimed for Shadow Yukari this time. The Shadow saw what I was trying to do, and started running away.

"You won't escape!" I cried out, sending a rain of bullets down onto her. I hit her two times in both of her legs, sending her to the floor. The Shadow couldn't move.

"I've got you right where I want you. It's time for the execution." Shadow Mitsuru said.

"Wha...?" I turned around, looking at the Shadow confused. Suddenly, a chilly wave blew over me. I turned around again to see Yukari's Shadow blowing a gust of wind at me while the other Shadow was blowing pellets of ice at me. I was sandwiched between the two attacks. From one end, I could feel my robotic limbs bending, and from the other end, I could feel the icicles pelting my body.

Shadow Mitsuru screamed in pain, and along with her, Yukari's Shadow had done the same. I looked around to see the cause of it.

Shinjiro bashed Shadow Yukari over the head with the giant hammer that he wielded. Akihiko had punched Mitsuru's Shadow right in the face, twisting his fist so that it would damage her even more.

"Aigis, are you alright!?" Minato came running to me as I fell to the ground. He caught me, but due to the weight of my combat body, he was instantly put down to the ground. At least he broke my fall... kind of.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Superficial damage sustained, that's all." I said. "Glad to see that you guys came in at just the right time. Two forces sandwiching you at once is kinda overkill..."

"What is this monster...?" Mitsuru asked.

"That's you, Senpai." Junpei said. "And Yuka-tan, that girl over there is you too, okay? Mitsuru, your Shadow is saying the truth. You should accept what it's saying and try to change yourself from that. The same goes for you, Yukari."

"You... giving advice...?" Yukari asked. "That's new of you, Junpei. You know, and it's not that bad either. I think I like this side of you." Yukari was the first to walk up to her Shadow, who was still floored after that attack by Shinjiro.

"You... I guess what you're saying is the truth. I kind of did have a feeling that my father never loved me. But after seeing that video tape that Senpai found for me, I'm certain. He did love me. He did care about me. Sure, what I'm doing right now is selfish. I need to change that, as Junpei said, right?" She asked. Her Shadow nodded at her. It transformed into a new Persona that Yukari could use.

Her Persona Io had upgraded to Isis. The same as how Akihiko's Polydeuces became Caesar.

"I suppose that you are correct as well. Deep inside... what I was doing was selfish. I was foolishly protecting a father that didn't need any protection. In the end, I just wanted to clear my name alone. But now, after what's happened, I feel like I can take on the world. You have helped me see that. Both you, and Aigis, and Yukari. And for that, I thank you." The same thing happened with Mitsuru, as well. Her Persona, Penthesilia, transformed into Artemisia.

"Phew... I'm glad that that's over. What a relief! I'm beat, though. We should all go in and get some rest. Day three of the trip is tomorrow. We're gonna miss out on all the fun, you know?" Junpei yawned.

"I agree. It's best to get some rest now. You both must be tired after facing your Shadows." I said. "I'll be at the inn if you need me."

"Wait, Aigis!" Mitsuru called for me. I stopped mid-walk, not turning around.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry that I was so cold to you. It's not your fault... that my father is dead. I wanted someone to blame... someone that I could put all of my grief into. You were there that day, able to move... so I blamed it on you, even though you had no control over your own body. I'm sincerely sorry about that, Aigis. Please... please forgive me." Mitsuru said.

"It's okay, Senpai. I forgive you." I said, turning around.

"I think we know what we're going to have to do, now. Our first objective... find those documents, like Yukari had informed me that we were doing before. A new plan of action as well is to track down Shadow Aigis and Ikutsuki and defeat the both of them. From what it looked like, the two were working together." Mitsuru said.

"I don't think that my Shadow has anything to do with Ikutsuki." I said. "It's got it's own plans. We can leave that alone for now. We'll deal with her when she shows up. She's usually dormant until something like what happened the time Ikutsuki attacked happens."

"Then we narrow it down to Ikutsuki and Strega. They are our enemies. There is no doubt that we're going to have to be fighting them in the near future, so we must be prepared for it. But, like Iori said, we should probably head back into the inn and get some rest. We should focus on the school trip now. It's best to get some R&R." Mitsuru said.

The rest of the night went perfectly well. I got some good sleep in me, and I'm sure that Yukari and Mitsuru did as well.

Tomorrow is the last day of the tirp. I should make it count. I want some good memories of this place.


	22. Chidori's Demise

Today was the last day of the school trip to Kyoto. We had a lot of fun throughout the entire trip, but I wanted to make this day the best that it could be.

That's why I was sitting down in the hot springs.

It was odd, though. I had expected the girls to be here. It was the "girls only" session right now, right? Right?

I heard a splash in the water. I let out a sigh of relief. It must have been the girls.

"Did you know that the hot spring is open to guys at certain times and girls at others?" That sigh I let out quickly changed to a gasp. That was Ryoji's voice!

"No way, really? Then, there's a chance it could change to girls only while we're still bathing. But if that happens, there's nothing we can do about it. I mean, we're already here, right?" Junpei's voice. I could tell... all of the boys were in the hot spring. Luckily, I was in the back, far away from them. They wouldn't be able to see me.

"So we couldn't be blamed if something like that were to happen, right?" Ryoji asked.

"If it does manage to switch, I'm getting out of here." Minato responded.

"So, Junpei, when does the hot spring change from guys to girls?" Akihiko asked.

"...Well... I have no idea! I didn't bother to check, right Ryoji?"

"Yeah, me neither, Junpei."

"So that's why we're out here at such an odd time! You two are such idiots!" Akihiko yelled. I moved closer to the big rock in the middle that was saving me from death and demise and took a peek around. Akihiko, Shinjiro, and Minato looked at Junpei and Ryoji with annoyance clear on their face.

"Calm down, man. We're just joking! Although you're right about it being a weird time to be here. But, don't worry. It's pretty late. I doubt any girls would come here now... Hey, let's move to the back. I heard it's much better there." Junpei said.

But I'm in the back! Oh no... oh no... how am I going to hide from them!? I just can't jump out and run around with just a towel on! I inhaled as much air as I could and dove under the water. I watched as all five of the guys came to the back of the hot spring. I realized that diving underwater wasn't such a good idea. I would have to come up for air eventually.

"Hey, what's that yellow thing under the water?" Minato asked. SHIT!

"I hope that isn't what I think it is." Shinjiro said. The boys were all in their bathing suits. So, Shinjiro and Akihiko shared the same preferences when it came to them...

I didn't have time to react as Minato's hand reached underwater and grabbed at the 'yellow thing'. The yellow thing being my hair. I held back a gasp as he pulled on it.

"Wait a second..." I heard him say. He took in a deep breath and put his head underwater. I locked eyes with him. He went back up for air, taking me along with him.

"Well, looks like we've found out what that yellow thing was. Her hair." Minato pointed to me.

"Guys... I can explain..." I said. "I thought it was the time for the girls to be out!"

"Well, I'm not as cruel as Mitsuru. I can understand that this was a big misunderstanding. You should head out of here, Aigis, so that the teachers don't catch you. It'd be horrible if they did." Akihiko said.

"Oh, thank you, Senpai!" I said. My life was saved. I was about to move out when I heard about four people enter the hot spring.

"...Shit! Someone's here!" Junpei whispered.

"No way." Minato said.

"Don't worry, it's probably just some other guys, like Kenji!" Akihiko said with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Wow! This hot spring is huge!" It was Yukari's voice.

"We're all dead... goodbye, cruel world..." I almost fainted. Before I fell back into the water, Minato caught me.

"Don't worry, Aigis! It's probably JUST Yukari." Minato said.

"Wow, you're right! It's the size of a swimming pool!" It was Fuuka's voice.

"Sad thing is that it's healing benefits ain't gonna work on me..." Labrys.

"Yes! Yukari-san and Fuuka-san! Tonight is my lucky ni-ngh!" Ryoji's head was dunked underwater by Junpei.

"Shut up you retard! They'll hear you!" Junpei warned.

"...What was that...?" Yukari asked.

"What's the matter, Yukari? Did you hear something?" Mitsuru asked.

"M-Mitsuru's here too?" Shinjiro asked. He looked absolutely terrified. "Oh man... there's no way she'll consider this a misunderstanding. That's it... our time on this world is over."

"Yeah, but it's not like we could get expelled for this, right? I mean, it was men only when we got here. So, it's actually kinda funny, if you think about it." Junpei said.

"You don't get it..." Shinjiro said. "This is Mitsuru we're talking about. If she finds us..."

"She'll execute us." Akihiko finished.

"Execute us!? That's against the law!" Minato said worriedly.

"...Yeah, I think I heard something. Fuuka, do you want to go check it out with me? It could be a g-ghost..."

"Um... but... I, uh... okay." Fuuka said.

"What the hell are we going to do!?" Ryoji asked, trying to run to the side. I grabbed him by the arm.

"That's only going to get us caught, dammit!" I said.

"Alright, we need to think of a plan..." Shinjiro said. "You should do it. You're the leader, after all."

"M-Me!? I have no idea how to escape the wrath of Mitsuru!" Minato yelled.

"Keep your voice down you idiot!" Junpei said. "They're gonna get us!"

"Yukari's at 2 o'clock, Fuuka's coming in from 10." I said.

"What does that even mean...?" Ryoji asked.

"It means that they're going to be trying to get us from the middle! Get towards the rocks!" I commanded. Everyone, in one big motion, move towards the rocks. I pressed myself up against it as Fuuka and Yukari came near. Junpei started breathing heavily from his mouth.

"That's gonna get us caught." Akihiko said. "You know, I'm not sure how we're going to get out of this mess... We have no hope."

"We're gonna die." Shinjiro said. "No doubt about it."

"I don't know what's worse. The fact that I don't know what this "execution" is, or the fact that there's no way to avoid it." Minato said. "Senpai, do you have any idea what it's like to be executed?"

"It's horrifying." Akihiko responded. "You do NOT want it."

"Why don't we check that rock over there?" Fuuka asked.

"Dive!" I commanded again. We took a deep breath and went underwater. I motioned for them to follow me as I swam underwater to a spot away from them. While they weren't looking, I hid at the left side of the rock.

"Well, it looks like there's nothing here... sorry for all the trouble." Yukari said. I heard her walk back along with Fuuka to the spot where the girls were.

"Doesn't the water seem a bit hot...?" Fuuka asked.

"You know, I was hoping that someone would be here. I wanna see an execution!" Labrys said. Oh, I'd give her an execution. That is, if she likes missiles. And miniguns. And rail guns. While the girls weren't looking, I leaped up from the water, holding onto the line that the guys made. Without any troubles, we ran right into the inn. Junpei fell on the floor as soon as he got inside.

"What the hell, Ryoji!?" He asked.

"What the hell do you mean by that, you idiot! It was your fault!" Ryoji yelled.

"It was your fault for convincing me to do that!" Junpei started to bicker with him. I turned to Akihiko and the others.

"Alright, does anyone have a knife? We need to make a blood pact to never do that again." I said.

"It would be kinda suspicious if we all had scars on our thumbs." Shinjiro said. "I'm just glad that we made it out of here alive."

"But still, we're never doing this again." Minato said.

"I'm just glad that I got to see Aigis..." Ryoji said.

"I told you stop doing that!" Minato said.

"So, what a last day, am I right?" Junpei asked.

"It was both of your faults..." Akihiko said.

"Let's stop blaming each other for what just happened there and get to bed. The train's leaving tomorrow, and I'm ready to leave this boring ass place behind." Shinjiro said.

Needless to say, it was an interesting trip... I couldn't wait to get back to the dorm...

* * *

"Phew! What a school trip!" Yukari said. The team had all returned to the dorm safely. Labrys had questioned us on why we were being so silent, but I think it would be best for her to never know about what happened. She would flip out on us all. But we were still scared of Mitsuru.

"Can all the guys have a meeting for a second? Like... leave the room." Akihiko asked.

"Um... sure?" Yukari said, leading the girls up to the third floor hallway. I stayed with the guys. I actually liked hanging out with them a little bit more than I did with the girls...

"Alright, we need to talk about what happened last night." Akihiko said.

"Hey, Aigis... this is "guys only"." Minato said. "Shouldn't you be up with the girls?"

"No, Aigis can stay." Junpei said. "She's like, the bro-est girl here."

"What does that even mean?" Akihiko asked.

"I'm thinking he means that Aigis has been with us through thick and thin, so much that she can be considered one of the guys." Shinjiro said.

"I don't know whether to be flattered or pissed..." I blushed.

"Don't worry, Aigis. We don't mean any harm by it." Minato said.

"You'd better not!" I said.

"So, back on topic... we need to take that memory... bury it deep within our minds... and never speak about it again. Ever. You take this to the grave. If Mitsuru finds out... we are goners. All of us. Even Aigis." Shinjiro said.

"That's right." Junpei nodded. "This is our secret."

We all dispersed into our rooms for the night. I plopped down onto my bed, motioning for Labrys to get out of the way before I did. I turned off the lights and shut my eyes. Not one second after I did, Labrys started speaking to me.

"Yo, Aigis." She said. "I wanna know somethin."

"What is it, Labrys? I'm trying to sleep..." I turned around.

"What happened last night? You were nowhere to be found." Labrys said. "I got worried."

"I was... inside." I said.

"I know what happened last night." Labrys dealt the death blow.

"Nothing happened last night except for me being in the inn all day. Didn't you come looking for me?" I asked.

"Yukari and Fuuka did. Nice tactics, though. Swimming underneath them." Labrys smiled at me.

"Nothing happened, Labrys." I said. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Aigis, come on!" Labrys said. "Can't you trust your sister?"

"...If you say anything about this to anyone, then I'll kill you. Last night... I was in the hotsprings. Along with the guys." I said.

"What!?" Labrys yelled.

"Keep quiet, Labrys!" I said. "We snuck out before anything happened, but it was a traumatizing experience for us all."

"Damn..." Labrys said. "Hey, Aigis... I gotta ask another thing... What's it like, being with Minato?"

"Labrys, I can't stay up all night... I'll answer your question tomorrow, okay?" I said.

"Uh... yeah. Okay. Night, sis." Labrys shifted in the bed.

* * *

The alarm for an Arcana Shadow's appearance rung, snapping me out of my sleep. That was odd... there was no need for that alarm. There were no more Arcana Shadows. But still, something must be wrong. I hopped out of bed and ran up into the command room, along with Labrys.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"I don't know, but we should head towards the meeting room." I said. When I reached the room, I opened the door to find everyone gathered in a circle. Fuuka was staring out the window.

"Uh... sorry for waking you up so abruptly, Aigis, but we have a problem in our hands. I'm detecting other Persona users." Fuuka said.

"Strega... They're still alive?" Yukari asked.

"Yes... It seems like they're at Tartarus!" Fuuka cried out.

"Yes, that is right." I heard another voice say. It seemed like everyone else heard that voice as well. It seemed to be interfering with Fuuka's powers.

"Chidori..." Labrys whispered. "It's that girl, Chidori!"

"I tire of you all. So I'm going to do something about it. Come to me..." The transmission that she was putting through ended. Fuuka looked spooked by what happened.

"How could she interfere with my powers...? Just what can she do?" Fuuka asked. Mitsuru stood up from her seat.

"This is most likely a trap, but since it's Strega, there's no way that we can avoid it. We'll have to go in there fully prepared for the worst thing that can happen. Arisato, once again you're leading." She said. Minato nodded his head and led the team out to Tartarus.

"What does that Chidori girl want? I thought that she was in the hospital?" Junpei asked as we walked up to the massive tower.

"I dunno... but I don't like the sound of what she was sayin." Labrys said.

We finally found Chidori. She was standing at the front of the entrance, much like Ikutsuki was.

"Chidori! Why are you doing this!?" Minato shouted.

"Be quiet... there is no time for games anymore." Chidori advanced towards us. I could see her hatched glimmer in the moonlight. It was concealed underneath of her sleeve.

"Be careful, guys... if you forgive the bad pun, she's got a trick up her sleeve." I warned.

"That was absolutely horrible. But everyone, heed Aigis's advice! We should be careful of that hatchet." Minato said.

"I know that I don't belong here! I've always known that!" Chidori yelled. "Takaya was right! You're a nuisance!"

"Chidori, calm down!" Junpei yelled. "You're going to hurt yourself like that!"

"It's no use trying to convince her to stop with just words alone, Iori... we have to defeat her in battle and knock her unconscious." Mitsuru said.

"Damn... out of the entirety of Strega... she didn't really do anything wrong..." Junpei said. He was right. She didn't do anything as severe as Takaya or Jin. She didn't really deserve what we were going to do to her...

"Persona!" Shinjiro yelled, firing his evoker. Castor lunged towards Chidori and swatted her away with his fist.

"Wait! I don't think we should go as hard as we would if it was Takaya or Jin on her! She doesn't look like she can fight..." Akihiko said. "And I'd take no pride in fighting the weak."

"Let's do this, Hermes!" Junpei cried out. Hermes glided towards Chidori and kicked her in the face. Before he disappeared, he delivered another blow as well. Chidori fell to the ground afterwards.

"Why... why won't you just leave me alone...?" Chidori asked as she lay there. She was on the borderline of consciousness and unconsciousness.

I heard clapping. I looked up from Chidori to see who was doing it. Takaya and Jin walked in front of the gates of Tartarus. A chuckle escaped Takaya's lips.

"There you are, you sons of bitches!" Shinjiro cried out. He looked as if he was ready to charge, but he knew better. Takaya had a gun. He even went to reach for it as well.

"I see that it is too late, Chidori. They have infected you with their toxin." Takaya said apathetically, tilting his head back so that he was looking down on us. What a freak...

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, you friggin ghost!" Junpei shouted.

"I am no ghost. Fate, although I wasn't attached to life, allowed me to live. You could say that... I was chosen." Takaya responded. He was getting a creepy tone about him.

"You bastard..." I growled.

"I've mad up my mind! I'm going to protect that girl! I won't let you ruin her life and kill her just like what you did to Ken! I'll protect her with my life!" Junpei yelled. What was with the sudden feelings for Chidori? Or maybe it wasn't feelings for her... but a sense of revenge. He crouched down beside Chidori. "Chidori, don't stay with them! Come with me!"

"Hahahahaha..." Takaya laughed. He pulled out the gun from his hip and pointed it at Junpei. Without warning, he fired two bullets right into his chest.

"JUNPEI!" Fuuka screamed in horror. Junpei put a hand to his chest, looking at it, shocked. He put the hand in front of his face. A massive amount of blood as pooling out of him.

"Hahahaha..." Junpei laughed at himself in pure denial. I don't believe it... Not another one... not another one to fall!

"Jun...pei..." Chidori looked at him in shock.

What right does she have to look at him like that? She was the cause of him getting shot!

No... that wasn't the way to think. It's not right. I'm still in shock over what just happened before me. Junpei's eyes shut as he fell to the floor, motionless. Chidori turned him over and leaned over him. She touched the wounds on his chest. Her Persona, Medea appeared above Junpei, causing a white light to shine over him. Chidori's body started to turn yellow. What was going on...? Junpei's eyes snapped open.

"Ah...!" He let out.

"Junpei-kun!" Fuuka cried out.

"Junpei!" Yukari yelled.

"It worked..." A smile spread across Chidori's face.

"It's like a miracle... she revived him...!" Labrys said.

"I get it now... her Persona doesn't sense life like mine... it emits life." Fuuka said. "But in order to revive someone, she must..." Chidori fell onto Junpei. He caught her before she hit the floor.

"Chidori!" Junpei yelled. He shook her back and forth. "Chidori wake up! Don't go, Chidori! CHIDORI!"

He let out a bone chilling cry of fury. I felt a giant lump in my throat... I couldn't speak.

"This can't be happening..." Junpei said.

"Ooh, what a pity... such a meaningless death..." Takaya said, walking down from the steps of Tartarus. He joined us on the floor, stopping a few feet from Junpei and Chidori. I glared at the man. That bastard... I will not let him get away with this...

"Meaningless!?" Junpei got up. A look of fury spread across his face. He took his evoker and shot himself with it, with much more force than he should have. His head blew back as Hermes appeared above him. Hermes started to transform. It curled up in a ball and changed colors to red. It gained actual wings that were attached to it's shoulders.

"RAAAAAAGH!" Junpei roared, sending Trismegistus after Takaya. A huge fireball exploded on the both of them, sending them flying towards the walls of Tartarus. They hit the door with such great force they almost went in them.

"My my my... that was quite a performance... now then... allow me to reciprocate." Takaya said. Jin grabbed Takaya's leg.

"Don't!" He yelled.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Takaya grunted. "Release me now!"

"Don't forget about what she told us! This is a waste of energy!" Jin responded.

"You're right... I have much greater things to accomplish, and since you have no means of eliminating the Dark Hour, I will leave you be for now. But know... that the day that we finish this is soon approaching!" Takaya smiled. Jin pulled out a smoke grenade and threw it. I tried to go after them, but it blew up in my face, obstructing my view. Dammit... how was this smoke making my scanners not work?

"Come back here you cowards! I'll kill you all! I'll shoot you just like you shot Ken!" I yelled.

"Aigis!" Minato pulled me back. "We don't need anyone else to die today!"

"You're right..." I sighed. "You're right..."

"We need to get back to the dorm..." Mitsuru said.

"Yeah. There's a lot that we need to think about." Shinjiro said.

"Junpei..." Labrys frowned.


	23. Nyx

"Hey, tonight's the full moon... even though we don't have any Shadows to fight." Junpei said. "But... I did hear that Ryoji's been feeling sick lately. I wonder what's up with him?"

"He's feeling sick?" I asked. What was today? It was the second of December... "I have to go see him. I'll be right back."

"Are you okay, Aigis? Why do you have to out at such an hour to find Ryoji?" Mitsuru asked.

"I just have to, okay? I'll be back." I ran out of the door.

* * *

He was on the bridge. The very same bridge that I sealed him away on. Ryoji was standing there, looking to the sky.

"Ryoji! I've been looking for you." I said. Ryoji turned around and looked at me.

"Aigis-san...? What are you doing out so late at night? The sky is so beautiful tonight... it's weird. Both the sky and the ground look so weird... something terrible has happened here, yet I feel at peace." Ryoji said.

"You forgot, haven't you?" I asked.

"Forgot what?" Ryoji asked.

"The Dark Hour- a period of time that only a select few people can experience. You've adapted to the Dark Hour quite well, too well for a human. Yes... you should know who you are, Ryoji." I said. Why was I confronting him about this...? I said that I wasn't going to kill him!

However... a feeling of sorrow had overcame me when he was talking about his lost memories. Could I possibly be here to help him remember? Is that why I was here? I was pitying him. Pitying him because he came from Minato.

"You... you're right, Aigis. On a night like tonight... the moon was full... long ago..." Ryoji said. "Who am I, Aigis? Who are you? I've seen you sometimes... you look very different. You look like a robot... yet you act completely human. Too human... just what are you? Just what am I? I'm so confused... Please, help me, Aigis... please..." I felt the same wave of sadness that I felt before. Truly, he was to be pitied. I had felt like him once, as well. Sad, angry... confused.

"I... I am Aigis. The last remaining Anti-Shadow Weapon, the last one ever made. My purpose was to originally destroy Shadows, but I developed a personality. A heart. Now I'm just like any other ordinary human being. You... you are the last Arcana Shadow. You are Death. I sealed you away... ten years ago." I informed.

"Yes... Ten years ago, the night I was born into this world... I set foot on this very bridge. They said I was Death, the 13th Arcana that was never meant to be... and I wasn't in this world for long before parts of my body escaped me, leaving me incomplete... as I was when I met you." Ryoji said.

"Yes, you killed a boy's parents on that day, orphaning him. I had sealed you away inside of him. The name of that boy was Minato Arisato." I said.

"I see, so I was confined within him, and I lead him to my twelve missing pieces without realizing it. And then... I remember! I remember everything! It all makes sense now... Who, and what, I am." Ryoji said.

"Yes, Ryoji..." I said.

"I... I have to go." Ryoji turned around.

"No, Ryoji! Don't go!" I reached out to him, but it was too late. He was gone, disappeared into the Shadows. I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see the rest of SEES running towards me.

"Aigis!" Minato yelled.

"What happened here? Did a Shadow appear!?" Junpei asked.

"No... but Ryoji's gone. I remember everything." I pointed towards Minato. "You must hate me... do you? Do you hate me? It's alright... I don't mind."

"Why would I hate you!?" Minato asked, grabbing my shoulders. I sensed a Shadow again. Ryoji was back. Why did he come back?

"Ryoji!?" Akihiko asked. "What's going on here!?"

I started to break down crying. What would Minato think of me after Ryoji told him the truth? Would he hate me? He would hate me... he would despise me. Minato looked at me worriedly. He wrapped his arms around me, and turned his head to look at Ryoji. He was patting my head, brushing his hand through my hair.

"What are you?" Mitsuru asked. She was getting right to the point.

"I... I am one of the Shadows that you have been hunting. I'm what's made when they all combine after they're defeated. I am the Appraiser. I know the frightening truth of me, and the Shadows.

"You know the truth about the Shadows?" Shinjiro asked.

"Yes. Shadows are here to facilitate the rebirth of the maternal being. She will begin to awaken as she is drawn to me... The Appraiser." Ryoji said.

"What's this maternal being?" Junpei asked.

"She is a great entity... There is no comparable word in your language for her. Ten years ago, a man collected a great number of Shadows and contained them in a laboratory... That's where I was born. ...But the unification was interrupted, and I awoke in an incomplete state. Not long after, I fell to Aigis..." Ryoji said.

"Fell to Aigis!? What's going on here!? Can't you at least get a response out of her, Minato...?" Shiniro asked.

"No... she's gone completely unresponsive... all she's saying is that she's sorry..." Minato looked up from me. I had been chanting those words like some kind of twisted mantra.

"She knew she could not defeat me... So in an act of desperation, she sealed me within a child who happened to be standing nearby. That child grew up, carrying me inside him. And by a twist of fate, he later returned here... as a transfer student." Ryoji said.

"You... you're talking about me...?" Minato asked.

"Yes, I lived inside you for ten years, leading you to the twelve Shadows. Your special Persona awakened, as well. These were all what were going to assemble me once again." Ryoji said.

"This makes no sense!" Junpei yelled.

"You said Shadows were here to facilitate the rebirth of the maternal being... Please elaborate on this." Mitsuru said.

"The maternal being is called Nyx." Ryoji said.

"Who the hell's Nyx?" Junpei asked.

"Nyx is the mother of Shadows. In ancient times, she bestowed "Death" to this world. If she is awakened, darkness will once again cover the land, and all life will vanish." Ryoji said.

"Life will vanish!?" Shinjiro asked. He grabbed Ryoji by the collar. "You better start making some sense, dammit!"

"The Fall..." I managed to say.

"It's possible to keep that from happening, right?" Labrys asked. Ryoji stayed silent. "You're... kidding..."

"I'm sorry." Ryoji said.

"You're acting like this is certain, Ryoji!" Yukari said.

"Yes... You heard the bell... I'm The Appraiser... The Appraiser of Death... My existence is the affirmation of the Fall." Ryoji said.

"When!? When will it happen!?" Akihiko asked.

"You won't live to see spring." Ryoji responded.

"That's... not too far away..." Minato said.

"Wh-What're you guys freaking out about? All we have to do is defeat this Nyx! And that won't be a problem because we've never lost!" Junpei said, acting cheery. His mood suddenly fell, however.

"Defeating Nyx is... impossible. It has nothing to do with strength, ability, or power. Just as all living things die... and the flow of time is continuous... Nyx cannot be defeated." Ryoji said.

"No... No! That's bullshit! We've fought so hard!" Minato yelled.

"I was born from a collection of Shadows. But now, I have a human form... So I can talk with you, laugh with you, cry with you... All gifts I received because I was inside him. So... I can give you a choice." Ryoji said.

"A choice...?" Yukari asked.

"You can kill me... and you will feel no pain. You will forget everything about what happened this year, and you will live your lives peacefully up until the Fall. It's the least that I can do for you." Ryoji said.

"If you don't kill me, you will suffer more than you could ever imagine. With no hope for salvation, you will live every day paralyzed by the fear of your impending death. And I... I don't want you to have to endure such pain." Ryoji started crying himself.

"Forgetting everything is like running away from the truth! I ain't gonna let that happen!" Labrys yelled.

"But... don't you want to live your lives peacefully...? You have a month to decide. December 31st... After that date... I'll fade away into the Dark Hour." Ryoji said. I couldn't feel his terrifying presence anymore. He was gone.

"This... is the first time that I've ever contemplated my own death..." Mitsuru said. "What a harsh reality we were thrown into..."

"Junpei, have you thought of anything?" Yukari asked.

"No..." Junpei looked down.

"What's the matter, are you scared...?" Yukari asked.

"Do you think this is a friggin game!?" Junpei yelled. "We're going to die! Of course I'm scared! You all need to wake up! This is death we're talking about here!"

"So... you're going to kill him?" Shinjiro asked.

"There's nothing I can do... He's the only one who can kill him. Come to think of it, it's all Aigis's fault! It's both of their faults! She was the one who put that inside of him and he was the one who nurtured it without even realizing! But you're "special", right!? Do something about it!" Junpei said. Minato stopped hugging me and stood up. He walked towards Junpei.

"Do something about it?" Minato asked. "Oh, I'll do something about it alright."

"Go on, then." Junpei said. Minato pulled his arm back and slugged Junpei across the face. He fell to the ground.

"If you're thinking about blaming her for something that she didn't even know would happen, then you're just acting like a child, looking for someone to blame." Minato said.

"Stop it, Junpei! It's not his fault... And the only reason we've even been given a choice is because he carried it!" Yukari yelled.

"I know that, dammit, but!" Junpei started.

"I'm sorry I teased you, Junpei. I was just trying to lighten up the situation. Personally, I don't want to forget everything. I've learned so much since coming here." Yukari said.

Junpei let out a deep sigh.

"You know, I never told this to anyone but Aigis... my father's an alcoholic. He started drinking because he got scammed from some telemarketer. He drank until he passed out, so he wouldn't have to face reality, and I hated him for it. Now, I understand how he felt. Everything seems hopeless... I'm so scared!" Junpei said.

"We're all scared, Junpei-kun." Labrys said.

"Alright, I don't think we're prepared to make a decision just yet. Ryoji said he'll be back on New Year's Eve, so we still have some time to think about it. ...So until then, let's just try to live our lives as normally as possible." Mitsuru said. "Let's... let's go back. It's getting late."

Before Junpei walked away, he came back over to me. I hadn't gotten up for a while now. He picked me up from the ground.

"Yo, Aigis..." He said. "You know, I've been a pit of a prick lately, haven't I?"

"J-Junpei..."

"But we're all in this together, aren't we? I'm sorry about all those times that I've snapped at you. You, me and Minato... we're all bros." Junpei said. "Bros till the end, Ai-chan?"

"Y-yeah..." I started to dry my eyes. "Bros till the end. Even though I am a girl..."

"You know I use it as a figure of speech!" Junpei smiled at me. The rest of the way home, he carried me bridal style, like some hero from a movie. It was... cute. I guess Junpei really was telling me the truth when he said that he thought of me as his little sister... I could safely say that with that logic, I'd be happy to have him as a big brother. He always knew how to cheer me up.

* * *

"Aigis, are you feeling better?" Minato asked me. We were both sitting down on the couch. It seemed like everyone had made their decisions. They were going to fight until the end. I was going to do the same. I wouldn't run away from my fears forever.

"Y-Yeah." I said, shakily. I had been avoiding Minato ever since Ryoji had told everyone his dark secret, thinking that he hated me now.

"You know that I would never hate you." Minato said, moving closer to me. "I love you too much to do that."

"But... you were nursing that monster inside of you..." I said.

"Who gives a shit? You did what you had to do because you had to do it. There was no other way that you could have defeated him alone, so you sealed him inside of me. I don't care that you did that. In fact, I think I'm happy that you did that. I think that if you didn't seal Ryoji inside of me, then I wouldn't have found my friends, a reason to live, and most importantly... you." Minato said. "You're special to me, Aigis. And if these really are the last days that we're alive, then I'm going to spend them with you no matter what."

"Minato-kun..." Minato patted me on the head, something that both him and Junpei were starting to do every now and then.

"Don't you worry, Aigis. I hate it when you're sad or worried..." Minato said. "You're like a completely different person."

"Have you made your mind up, yet, then?" I asked.

"Of course I did. I'm going to stay and fight like the man I am! There's no way that I'm letting something like Nyx stop me." Minato responded. "You know, Christmas is coming up. We should spend it together."

"Yeah." I nodded my head. The two of us just sat there on the couch, talking about what we where going to do and how we would spend our days up until our fight with Nyx.

* * *

I couldn't even focus during the final exams. However, I tried as hard as I could. They were finished in a flash. I sat down in my chair, anxiously waiting for the bell to ring to get out of school.

"Ai-chan! Christmas is coming up soon. You'd better get Minato something fast if you haven't, he's working his ass off to get you something." Junpei said.

"Oh, really?" I asked. "I should get to work then. I bet he'd like another pair of headphones!"

"Geez, you think of things fast! I was just about to suggest that to you." Junpei smiled at me. "But... you are the smartest person I know, so there's that."

"Man, would you look at how time flies... it's already the end of the second semester. We're done school today. I guess that's all the more reason to train for Nyx's arrival." I said.

"Yeah. Come to think of it, though, I haven't gotten myself a Christmas gift..." Junpei said.

"You give stuff to yourself for Christmas?" I asked.

"Well, I got no one to spend it with, so why not?" Junpei asked. Yukari walked towards our desks.

"You don't have anyone to spend any time with for Christmas either, Junpei?" Yukari asked.

"Uh, yeah, Yuka-tan." Junpei said. "Wait, you mean that you don't? I would have thought that by now you'd be spending it with someone special..."

"Whaddya mean by that?" Yukari asked. "Well, since we both don't have anyone to spend it with, why don't we spend it together? You'd better get me a good gift, Junpei!" She walked off and exited the classroom. Junpei turned his head to me with a look on his face that was similar to one who has seen a ghost.

"Did Yuka-tan just..." Junpei began.

"Ooh... Junpei's got a Christmas partner after all!" I joked.

"H-H-Hey, that's not funny, Ai-chan! What the hell am I going to get her, and why is she doing this out of the blue? Christmas is in two days, Ai-chan!" Junpei started freaking out. "Maybe it's sympathy? Maybe it's something else? Who knows!? But the thing I'm worried about the most is whether or not I'll get the right thing for her!"

"Calm down, I'm sure that Minato doesn't know what he'll get me, either. Buuut... if you wanna help him out a little bit... tell him that I like mechanical things. Also guns. I love guns." I said. "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine."

"Alright alright, I'll do it!" Junpei said. "So... what kind of gift should I get Yuka-tan?"

"I dunno, something pink. Maybe some new clothes. Colored pink. You know she has an obsession with pink." I said.

"Yeah, you're right... I need to calm down and get her something that she'd like. I'll listen in on her conversations at the dorm and see if I can find out what she likes." Junpei said.

"I really, honestly don't believe that happened, either, though. Yukari's pretty mean to you. I wonder what she was thinking when she asked you to spend Christmas with her?" I said.

"Eh, who knows? Not like I care, anyway." Junpei said. "I mean, I do care about getting her something good for Christmas, but I don't care that she's doing this all of a sudden."

"We should be getting home, it's about to get dark outside." I said.

* * *

Today was finally Christmas. I couldn't wait to see what Minato had got me. I hoped that Junpei had hinted to him what I wanted. I was sitting down in my room, staring at the wall blankly. Labrys was gone. Not understanding the meaning of Christmas, she decided to leave the dorm and hang out outside for the day. I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." I said, turning my attention to the door. Minato walked in with a red box in his hands.

"Oh, Minato! I didn't know that you were going to come in here so early! I would have gotten ready!" I said. I started to frantically search for the box that I put Minato's present in.

"Aigis, you shouldn't bend over like that." Minato said.

"You're looking... why?" I asked, finally finding the box and coming back up.

"How can I not when your ass is right in front of my face?" Minato asked.

"Just... sit down." I said, motioning him to sit on my bed.

"I couldn't believe how fast that this day came, you know? Pretty soon we'll all have to make our decision. But we already know what that decision is gonna be. We're gonna fight till the end." Minato said. "So, why don't we exchange our gifts now?"

"Yeah." I handed him the gift that I got and he handed his to me. At the same time we opened them, pulling out what we got each other.

"Minato...!" He had got me just what I wanted. While it wasn't a gun like I had asked Junpei to tell him, it was something that had a lot of heart put into it. He got me a cleaning kit for myself!

"I added WD-40 just in case..." Minato smiled at me, rubbing the back of his head. "Aigis... is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah. It's a new MP3 player. That one's kinda outdated, if you don't mind me saying." I said.

"That was... really thoughtful of you, Ai-chan! Thank you." Minato said. "You know, let's promise each other. Let's promise each other that no matter what happens, we'll be there for each other, alright?"

"Of course. Minato... I love you." I said.

"And I love you too, Aigis." Minato responded. I spent the rest of Christmas in my room with Minato. I felt... content. I knew, just from the way he was acting around everyone, that I had succeeded in my original goal: to make his life a better experience. Now, my goal was to live. To live with him forever, and be happy.

I'm glad that Minato could help me realize things about myself while I was trying to change his life in the right direction.

* * *

The time had come. We were all waiting in the lounge for the Dark Hour to arrive.

"We've all made our decision." Mitsuru said. "We're going to fight."

"W-What!?" Labrys stood up. Silence hung in the air as we all stared at her in awe. What was she going to do? What was she going to say? I looked at Junpei with a surprised look on my face. He understood it completely. His response, however, was nothing but a shrug. He looked to the rest of the team. They didn't seem to know what was going on in Labrys's mind either. Finally, breaking the silence, Shinjiro stood up.

"Labrys... Do you have a problem with that? What's your decision?" Shinjiro asked.

"...Why are you all going to torture yourselves against an opponent that you can't win against? I can't see the point in it! Why are you all choosing to suffer when the only thing that you can do is watch as your world gets destroyed? Please... choose to kill him. Please, erase your memories. I can't bear to watch you all die!" Labrys yelled.

"We're not choosing to die in pain. We're choosing to fight until the end." Akihiko said. "If we don't fight Nyx that's the equivalent of running away, and it pains me to think of all the people that would be hurt if we were going to do that. That's why all of us made the decision to fight. We're going to defeat Nyx no matter what. We're not letting some monster decide what we can and can't do with our lives."

"Labrys, I understand how you feel. You feel helpless... but that's nothing to be afraid of. I feel that way too, but choosing to fight Nyx has shown me that we have to take the fear that we have, and use it as power against our adversaries." I said. "Won't you fight with us?"

"...I can't even do what I was meant to do." Labrys said. "I'm worthless as a machine... I can't fulfill my goal in protecting you... what good is a machine when it can't fulfill it's purpose? I was supposed to protect you, Aigis, but your Shadow took control of your body and almost killed all of us!"

"Oh, Labrys..." Fuuka said.

"Don't say that you're worthless. You're not." I said sternly. "That's no way to think, Labrys. Like you, I used to think that as well... but you have to realize... there are more things in life than just one thing. You need to stop and appreciate the greater things in life, like friends, and family."

"You're a big part of the team, Labby!" Junpei said. "You can't just go and call it quits because of one thing that happened. You're not a failure as a machine. You're not a useless person at all! You're our friend, Labrys, and that's all that really matters in the big scheme of things. You can't just go around saying that you're worthless, because you're not. You mean something to us, just as we hopefully mean something to you."

"You... I think I'm beginning to understand what you're all saying... I need to live my life like a normal human being should!" Labrys said.

"There you go, girl!" Yukari said. "That's exactly what we're saying."

I felt a presence enter the room. Turning around, I was met face to face with Ryoji.

"Hello, Aigis. You're looking beautiful as ever. Well, it's New Year's Eve. Have you made your decision?" Ryoji asked. He walked towards the couch and took a seat right next to Minato.

"Yes." Mitsuru said.

"Well, then... hit me." Ryoji closed his eyes. I stared at him like he belonged in a mental ward. Was he just automatically assuming that we were going to kill him? Realizing that no one was doing anything to him, Ryoji opened his eyes.

"You're not doing anything? You're not going to kill me?" Ryoji asked. "But... understand that if you do, you'll die horribly!"

"We're going to fight Nyx. No questions asked." Minato said.

"You really want to fight her don't you? Well, I've tried to tell you that it's a useless effort, but you mind as well try while you're still alive, right? Even though you're going to be defeated..." Ryoji said.

"You don't need to keep on telling us, Ryoji. We're going to make it through this okay." Shinjiro said.

"Well, farewell to you all. It was nice being with you. I'll never forget you." Ryoji said. He walked out of the dorm, fading away into the Dark Hour.

"Man, that Ryoji." Junpei said. "Well, we know what we've gotta do now. We're going to defeat that Nyx, and then we're going to live our lives to the fullest! No more Dark Hour! No more Shadows!"

"Yes!" I nodded. "That's the kind of thinking that we all need!"

"I can't wait... This is going to be our toughest challenge yet. Are you all ready for this? I know that I am." Akihiko said.

"Aki, you idiot. Always thinking about fighting, aren't you?" Shinjiro asked.

"Hey, it's in the blood, Shinji!" Akihiko smiled.

"You two seem more lively than ever." Mitsuru announced.

"Well, I guess this star shines the brightest when it's in danger!" Akihiko pointed to himself. The seniors all started joking around with each other and left us juniors alone. I looked at Labrys. She had a pained expression on her face every time she looked at me. She tried to avoid my gaze.

"Labrys, is there something wrong?" I asked.

"N-No, it's nothing." She responded. "Just somethin that's been on my mind for a while now."

"Oh? Do you want to tell me? You can trust me." I said.

"Nah... it seems like somethin I outta keep to myself." Labrys said.

"Well, alright." I said. "Let's win this, okay?"

"We're all in!" Junpei said. "In it to win it, baby!"

"Hey Junpei, I have to say, that was one of the best Christmases that I've ever had. Thanks for the gift." Yukari said, turning to him. "You know... here's a little extra one just for showing me a good time."

To my utter and complete surprise, and Minato's too, Yukari bent down and kissed Junpei on the cheek. Junpei's eyes widened, and me and Minato looked at each other shocked.

"You know, if tonight's a night that's in the kissing mood, maybe we should do something to accommodate." Minato rose his eyebrows and smirked at me.

"What kind of facial expression is that?" I asked, chuckling a little bit.

"Shut up!" Minato blushed. Once again I found myself making out with Minato as Labrys started making fake gagging noises. Yukari and Junpei started giggling with each other.

"You know, you two should really get a room." Labrys said. "On second thought, don't. You'll only get louder."

"What do you mean?" Yukari asked.

"Oh, you don't know?" Junpei asked. "Those two REALLY hit it off! About a month ago, I think."

"What do you mean...?" Yukari asked again.

I broke away from the kiss to look at Yukari straight in the eyes. I made an "O" with one hand, and extended my pointer finger. I put the pointer finger in and out of the "O" until Yukari finally got what I was saying.

"You're kidding me!" Yukari yelled.

"And you know, if we don't move em fast, it looks like they're about to do it again." Labrys said.

"WHOO! Best Christmas EVER!" Junpei cheered.

Truly, it was one that no one would ever forget.


	24. The Battle for Everyone's Souls

This was our last month. It was January 2nd today, marking the beginning of our last days until the fight with Nyx. There were so many things that I had to thank Philemon for. First, sending me back in time to actually do this, and second, helping me blend in with the crowd a little bit better. Maybe he might have realized that there would be a point in time where I would want to get a little more... intimate with Minato...

But it all made me wonder: Why, exactly, did he do this? Surely he wouldn't have done this just because some girl wanted to help out the one she loved. Some of it made sense, other parts didn't.

Winter Break was over, so I had to go to school today. I know it's unlike me to say this, but what a drag... can't I just have some peace until the day we fight Nyx? Come to think of it, Ryoji never told us where she would be. I guess he really, really thought that we stood no chance against her and that it was a useless effort to even try.

Those thoughts slowly drifted away as I started to fall asleep in class.

* * *

"Aigis, wake up." I heard a voice say. I opened my eyes and looked around. Nothing but black was in the sky and I was sitting on a golden pillar. This was Philemon's domain. I wonder if he knew I was thinking about what he did?

"Philemon? Why did you call me here... in the middle of class?" I asked.

"Well, it didn't seem like you were paying attention to whatever the teacher was saying anyway. Besides, I called you here to tell you something important. On the final day... two ghosts from the past will appear." He said. "And since from the look on your face I can tell you don't know what the promised day is, it's the next full moon. Nyx will be waiting at the top of Tartarus."

"Thank you for telling me. Ryoji kind of forgot." I said.

"He really does think that you can't defeat Nyx." Philemon said.

"Oh, while I'm here... Philemon, can you tell me why you did this?" I asked. Philemon shrugged and shook his head.

"If you're referring to sending you back in time, it's because you have saved the world countless times. I felt the need to at least repay you for all that you have done. So, along with sending you back in time, I had given you a human disguise so that you wouldn't have to constantly hide the fact that you were a robot. I can tell you've put it to... good use." Philemon explained.

"Did you really pass out in the middle of class?" I heard an unknown voice say. Well, it did sound familiar, it just wasn't coming from here.

"You're being called, Aigis. I suppose that unless you have more Persona related work to do, this is our last meeting." Philemon said.

"It's been fun, Philemon. Thank you." I said.

"I also thank you, Aigis." Philemon said.

* * *

I finally woke up to be greeted with Minato and Junpei surrounding me. Minato was poking my side while Junpei was waving his hand in front of my face. There was some drool that was on the desk that must have appeared as I was sleeping.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Phew... you didn't get any sleep last night, did you?" Minato asked. "You worried me sick, Aigis!"

"I only went to sleep..." I said.

"Yeah, but school's over. You slept the entire day." Minato said. "Oh yeah, Labrys wanted to see you. She said that it was important. She's waiting up at the roof." Labrys had something important that she wanted to talk to me about? I wonder what it is... I decided to go to the roof and find out.

Labrys was sitting down on one of the benches, looking up into the sky. There was something odd about her. She wasn't like her normal self... I could feel that difference from a mile away.

"Labrys?" I walked up to her. "Are you okay? Minato told me that you wanted to see me. What did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, Aigis. Come on and sit down, okay?" Labrys asked. I sat down on the seat beside her.

"What were you like when you first got your emotions?" Labrys asked. That was certainly an odd question...

"Well, if I had to answer, I guess you could say I was confused. I was chasing after something that just wasn't there anymore. I didn't know what to think or how to feel. I'm lucky that one of my friends had taught me about what emotions were like. He spent an entire month dedicated to me. I'm really thankful for him. Without him, I might still be just a robot." I responded.

"I'm feeling the same way too, Aigis. I feel so confused... what do I feel? What do I think?" Labrys asked. "I try to talk with the others, but the conversations just fall short because I don't know what to say to them."

"You're right. I used to do that too. Labrys... would you like me to help you understand your emotions? Try talking with me about different stuff. That's the best advice I can give you. Like Minato, I'll dedicate this month solely to you." I said. It was the least that I could do. After all, Labrys was my sister, and us sisters had to work together, right?

"Thanks, Aigis..." Labrys smiled at me. It was always refreshing to see her smile. She has such a nice smile...

"Alright, now we should be heading back into the dorm. I think I have an idea of where Nyx is going to appear, and I want to tell everyone." I said.

* * *

As soon as I walked into the dorm, I had found Mitsuru sitting at the reception table, working on some papers. She looked up from them when she saw most of SEES was back.

"Welcome back." Mitsuru said.

"Hi, Senpai. Uh... I think I have an idea of where Nyx will be. She's going to be at the top of Tartarus at January 31st, the full moon." I said.

"Well, that would only make sense... considering." Mitsuru said. "Alright. I will alert everyone about this. You guys... just try to enjoy this last month."

"Of course we will." Minato said.

"Hey, Ai-chan! I really gotta thank you for helping me out on Christmas. Yuka-tan actually wants to hang out with me again!" Junpei said.

"Uh, have you gotten the hint yet, Junpei?" Minato asked.

"What hint?"

"Wow, you're extra dense today. I think Yukari wants to go out with you." I said.

"W-What...? L-like, dating and all that?" Junpei asked.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Wow... damn..." Junpei said. He had a look on his face that I couldn't describe. It was sort of like someone having an epiphany.

"Let's head to bed for the day, I'm sure that even though we're basically finished, Ekoda's going to work us like dogs." Minato said.

* * *

"There you are!" Junpei called as I walked into the dorm. I had heard some interesting stuff today about a cult that was worshiping Nyx. They were talking about how there was a "Messiah of Darkness" that would save the land from turmoil. What a joke. "We're going to Hagakure. Wanna come?"

"Uh... sure." I said. That was random... Oh well, I guess Junpei just wants to hang out with his friends before Nyx shows up at Tartarus.

"Wow... that was easy! Then again, I know how much you like food. Akihiko-san's buying. Funny thing us that us guys made a bet in Yakushima that whoever lost had to pay for a bowl of ramen. The thing is, though, neither of us won! You're the one who technically won the thing thanks to Labrys. It took me six months to make Akihiko-san accept that fact. Oh well, we're going to be late. Let's go!" Junpei explained.

"Wait, I didn't take part in that perverted bet! How was I the winner!" I started chasing after him. Junpei was laughing along with me the entire way there.

We got to Hagakure, looking at all the posters that littered the streets and walls of buildings.

"Bunch of baloney if I've ever seen it." Junpei commented.

Inside, Minato, Yukari and Akihiko were already there, along with Labrys. Yukari had ordered the special for everyone, much to Akihiko's dismay. It looked like he didn't want to waste any more money on ramen. Well, if he didn't make that stupid bet he wouldn't be in this mess.

Labrys looked over to a newspaper and picked it up. After looking at it, she nearly spit out what she was eating.

"What's wrong?" I asked, walking up to my sister.

"This article! "Emergence of a Messiah: The Charismatic One Speaks!"" Labrys said.

"It must be about that doomsday cult that's going around town. All over the Internet, too." Yukari said.

"That's not the worst part!" Labrys said. "Look at who their "Messiah" is!"

"The picture of their leader..." Akihiko said. I looked closer.

It was a picture of me.

"I don't believe this!" I yelled.

"Here's what she's saying: "Mankind is currently imprisoned by the sins of hate and anger. But soon, a savior will descend upon this world to break the chains that bind us, and lift us to new heights. This great being is Nyx. I have beheld her glory, and she has blessed me with power beyond belief. In Nyx there is no pain... no suffering..."" Labrys said.

"How the hell does that copycat know about Nyx!? And why is there a second Aigis!?" Junpei yelled.

"Are you guy forgetting something...?" I asked. "That's not me, or a clone or anything. That's... my Shadow."

"So... your Shadow was that "Queen" that Strega was talking about! I should have known that they would be involved in this!" Minato said.

"She's saying that Nyx will save the world! That's nowhere near the truth!" Yukari said.

"I don't think she means what she's saying. This is just a game to her, remember?" Akihiko asked.

"That son of a bitch..." Minato said. "Oh, sorry, Aigis."

"Get a load of this! "But, there are those who do not understand this truth, even though they have also been blessed by her. They have acquired the same power as I; yet they abuse it, using it for their own personal gain. These miscreants are the ones to blame for the recent tragedies that have been plaguing our streets."" Labrys continued to read.

"Wait a second! Is she talking about us!?" Junpei yelled.

"Not so loud!" Yukari hushed him.

"What's up with them calling her the "charismatic one" if all she did when we saw her was say that she wanted the human race to go extinct?" Junpei asked.

"Well, Jin's pretty good with the internet, so maybe he rose her popularity..." Akihiko said.

"Strega makes me sick..." Yukari groaned. This was all so uncomfortable for me. Sure, my Shadow is a heartless, cruel bitch, but it was still me!

"She goes on to say this: "Brothers and sisters, I shall go forth to make preparations for Nyx's arrival... But, do not fear those evildoers who desecrate their gifts. Nyx shall right their wrongs. May your hearts be filled with peace as you await your salvation. Blessed are those who take joy in the coming of Nyx. The revolution is here!"" Labrys kept on reading. "That's where the article ends."

"Bastards..." Akihiko muttered. "That's it. There's no doubt that we'll find them in Tartarus when the day arrives. If we have to face Aigis's Shadow again... we'll need all the training that we can get."

"Takaya's pretty strong himself. We're going to be in for one hell of a fight." Minato said.

"I'd keep your head low, Aigis." Junpei said. "You don't know how many creeps are gonna come for you when they find out that you look exactly like the "Messiah"."

"Damn... couldn't they have chosen Takaya for this?" I asked. "My face is plastered on that thing, smiling wide! I can't stand it!"

"Let's get home for the day." Akihiko said.

* * *

I spent even more time with Labrys. She was talking about a lot of different things instead of just one today. We even talked about who she liked out of the boys in SEES. She was fidgeting around, though. I wonder what that meant?

I returned home and started to just sit around on the couch. There was no one at the dorm yet, they all didn't have a reason to run and hide back home. They weren't being falsely labeled as some kind of Messiah.

"Hey." I was surprised to see someone else in the dorm. Shinjiro walked down the stairs and sat down beside me. "I guess you have to get home early from now on considering your Shadow is some kind of Messiah now. I bet you're having the time of your life."

"Oh, please... tell me about it. It's so annoying! Every day I go to school it's the same thing! People come up to me and bow down, saying that they were awaiting my salvation!" I said.

"Must be a real pain in the ass." Shinjiro said. "How do you feel about what we're going to be doing soon? You okay? Need another pep-talk from me?"

"You're in a happy mood today. Why?" I asked. He was normally never all happy around me, or anyone else for that matter. There was only one time when I saw him happy. In Tartarus.

"Well, I'm trying to perfect something for the 31st. I'm close to getting it done, too." Shinjiro said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Well, I was making something for us all to eat for our "last dinner"." He said.

"You... cook?"

"Yeah. What do you think I do all day? It's either that or sit in my room and sleep. Lately I've been working on this cake... I want it to be great." Shinjiro said. Man, this attitude is really out of character for him! I actually like the nice side of Shinjiro.

"I'd love to try it out when that time comes, then." I said. "I'm sure it'll be great. I noticed that every dinner that we had when you started coming back to SEES was a lot better. Were you the one doing the cooking?"

"That's... none of your business." Shinjiro said.

"So you were!" I smiled.

"Shut up..." Shinjiro said. I could tell that the conversation was over, but at least I found out something about Shinjiro today.

* * *

I had to meet with Toriumi today for Career Counseling.

"Let's begin, shall we? I don't have much to say, though. In the end, it's your decision. What are you going to do when you're finished school? Go straight into the workforce or go to college." She asked me.

"I want to go to college." I said. I really didn't have anything pertaining to a job in my mind, but I at least wanted to go to college.

"I see. Well, if it's your decision, then I'll stand by you." Toriumi said. "Now, it's important to keep in mind that this decision is yours, and yours alone. If someone else makes it for you, you'll regret it later. And then you'll have to live with the consequences, whatever they may be. But, to be honest, I'm quite confident in you. You've really matured over this last year. I'm sure you're aware of it as well. What do you think has helped to bring about this change the most?"

The answer was obvious. Meeting everyone again, and realizing what was truly important in life for me.

"Meeting the people that I go to school with." I responded.

"I see, well, whatever the reason you should be proud of the beautiful young woman that you have become. Can you let Labrys-san know that she's up next?" She asked. I nodded my head and went off to look for Labrys. She was, of course, at the same place that she always was during this month.

"Something on your mind, Labrys?" I asked. She looked deep in thought.

"I'm sorry... I went off on my own." Labrys said, turning to me. "Don't worry. I just needed some time to think to myself."

"You know... all that talk about how your Shadow is their "Messiah" and all that got me thinking about when I gained my emotions. When I tried to fight your Shadow on that day, I was horribly and utterly outclassed. One hit was all it took for her to defeat me. She made me lose consciousness. And I realized, I was scared and embarrassed that I got into a fight that I couldn't win. Feelings, huh? I've really changed..." Labrys said.

"Don't worry about it." I responded.

"I've been thinking a lot about this change that's occurred in me. You know, in the past if I didn't understand something, I would just ask someone to explain it to me. But those were about simple things... now... no one can answer the questions that I have." Labrys said. "I don't know why I wanted to be so close to you... maybe it was because I sensed that Shadow in you, and I wanted to protect you from it. But..."

"What?" I asked.

"Even though we're about to face it one last time, and we're about to be rid of it, I still want to be by your side." She said. I tried to hide the look of confusion on my face.

"I still don't know what these emotions are... and I still don't have any answers for them. But I'm sure that if you take me with you, I'll learn their meaning! So please, Aigis! Please take me with you, sister! I want to fight!" Labrys grabbed my hand.

"Of course I'll bring you with me. There's no other way that I'd have it. Either we're all in this together, or we're not in it at all." I said.

"You came up here for a reason, right? It was probably Ms. Toriumi. I'll be down." Labrys said, walking off.

* * *

Today was our last day. It was finally time for our last battle. I walked in the dorm, only to be led upstairs by Shinjiro. Everyone got home early today so that we could discuss what we were going to do and what our plan of action was.

"This is probably the last time that we're meeting like this." Mitsuru said. "My how time flies... is everyone ready?"

"...Um... can I say something...?" Yukari asked. She stood up and looked at everyone. "I know that we have to defeat Nyx... But if you think about it, that means we'll be getting rid of the Dark Hour... So our memories may disappear... But, even if that happens... I want you all to know, I won't forget you! Even if it robs us of all of our memories together... I will still remember you all!" I saw the fire that was normally in her eyes burn brighter than usual.

"We know that you won't forget us, Yukari." Minato said.

"Even if everyone forgets about us, I'll be there to remind them." Mitsuru said.

"Alright then, after the battle, no matter what happens, let's meet each other again!" Junpei smiled.

"We should decide on where and when to meet." Fuuka suggested.

"Yeah. It should be a special day." Shinjiro said.

"What about Graduation Day? When the Dark Hour vanishes, our memories might not disappear right away. So we shouldn't plan to meet too soon after the battle. And there's no day that will have more significance to us all." I suggested.

"That's easy to remember!" Labrys said. "Great idea!"

"Yeah, that's our best bet... Graduation Day." Junpei nodded.

"It should be a place where we can recognize that peace has finally returned to the city. And when we meet, we're going to remember what we're feeling now. No matter what happens, we'll never look back." Mitsuru said.

"Yeah." Shinjiro agreed.

"Let's get moving." Akihiko stood up.

We stood outside of the school gates, staring up at the sky. The Dark Hour had hit, morphing the school into Tartarus. This would hopefully be the last time that we ever see it. Before we fight Nyx, there's some more things that we have to do in here. And that's defeat Strega and my Shadow, once and for all.

Get ready, Me. Here I come.

"This is the last battle. Let's move out." Mitsuru said.

* * *

We reached the floor that was before the top of Tartarus. Takaya was sitting there along with Jin. It looked like they were talking to one another, but when they saw us, they stopped and stood up.

"Is the top of Tartarus through here?" Akihiko asked.

"Where is my Shadow?" I asked.

"Indeed." Takaya responded to Akihiko's question.

"Let us through." Mitsuru said.

"I am not standing in your way." Takaya said. "What is it that you seek? These are you final moments..."

"These aren't our final moments. We're not gonna let the Fall happen." I said.

"See what our Messiah has to say about that..." Takaya said. "You are merely wasting your energy... Why not celebrate this wonderful moment? What better way could you spend your final moments together?"

"Will you shut your mouth already!?" Minato asked.

"My life was stolen from me... and in its place, I was given a power I never asked for... and so, I learned that the future is only a delusion. Only by striving to live every moment to its fullest can the soul be truly satisfied. That is why we welcome this glorious revelation, to shine a light upon this darkened world!" Takaya said.

"You're so full of shit!" I yelled. "I'm not dying just so you can have a friggin nightlight!"

"This is not merely my desire, but the desire of all mankind." Takaya responded.

"That's because of all these weird things that have been happening!" Fuuka said.

"That is untrue... Who is responsible for reviving Nyx? Can a single person boast of this great accomplishment? You all worked tirelessly to prevent it, and yet in doing so, you unwittingly aided in her coming... So you see, this is not just my will; it is the will of all people. Man cannot face death without first finding meaning in life... But the world has realized that any meaning in life was lost long ago... Nyx has come because humanity has cried out for her salvation!"

"That can't be true!" Labrys yelled.

"I don't believe you..." Shinjiro said.

"What do you know of this world? No matter how long you search or how hard you pray, eventually you will realize that there is no truth. Just as death is eternal, a truth that has been lost can never be found again. Are you really so desperate to die that you will stand before the almighty Nyx!?" Takaya yelled. he calmed down before speaking again. "Such foolishness is what I am trying to rid this world of." He pulled his revolver out and pointed it towards us. Jin got ready for battle as well.

"If you insist on asserting your way of life, then we shall do the same! The coming of Nyx... is but moments away!" Takaya put his face in his hand, and started laughing. The laughing turned to chuckling, and the chuckling turned to cackling. As we were all stunned by the sudden show of insanity, he pointed his revolver at Minato, still laughing, and fired. Minato jumped out of the way of the gun. Takaya would have missed either way. He was still laughing, so he wouldn't be able to concentrate. Jin used his mouth to take the pin off of a grenade and threw it at us. I jumped up and swatted it out of the air. I could take a few explosions.

"Persona!" Takaya yelled. His Persona appeared before him. A large amount of flames started swelling up in his mouth. He leaned forwards to extend his neck, and breathed out. The flames shot from his mouth. He was attempting to singe us, however I was prepared for something like this. I knew what his Persona could do. Using Athena, I put up a massive shield around everyone, sending the flames right back at him, leaving Takaya right open. Labrys released her chain knuckle, grabbing him by the hair. She pulled back, taking him along with her arm. In the other hand, she held her giant axe. As he came back, she swung it, sending him flying away from her and into one of the pillars that were stationed on the floor.

"We should be careful about that, Labrys! If we destroy all the pillars, what's going to hold the top floor up?" Mitsuru asked.

"Oh right, sorry." Labrys replied.

Mitsuru ran in towards Jin, masterfully dodging all of the explosives he was throwing at us. I noticed that Akihiko was gone. Mitsuru forced Jin to jump by swiping at his legs, but as soon as he entered the air, Akihiko came out of nowhere with a harsh punch that sent him flying back down into the ground.

"It is obvious that we are outclassed." Takaya said. "But it doesn't matter. We are here to stall you, after all."

"What do you mean...?" Junpei asked.

"The real show us happening upstairs. Our Messiah has gone to meet her." Jin pointed up. "It doesn't matter if you finish us off or not, you're never going to make it in time."

"No!" Yukari cried out.

"Go on, then. Go up to marvel at the beauty that's going to destroy everything!" Takaya laughed. "We will stay right here."

"Tch... I can't believe you, bastard." Shinjiro growled.

"They're giving up because they know they can't win! Let's head to the top to see what's going on." Minato suggested.

"Yeah, Leader." Labrys said. "Lead the way."

"It matters not what you do! It is the end for you, and me, and all of us! Enjoy your final moments! Spend them in utter and complete terror!" Takaya called after us as we ran up the stairs.

* * *

The top of Tartarus... it's odd. It had a serene feel to it. Maybe because this was the place where it was all supposed to end for us. But that didn't matter. We were going to stop it. I looked around, watching for Nyx or my Shadow.

"She's no where to be found... I thought that Takaya said that your Shadow was up here waiting for us?" Akihiko asked.

"W-What's that!?" Fuuka looked up into the sky. A gigantic black humanoid figure descended down from the sky and touched the ground. One close look at it's face revealed that the figure had Ryoji's face. This was Nyx's Avatar, Ryoji.

"Ryoji!?" Yukari asked.

"That was my name for a time... I didn't mind it." The Avatar said.

"What's going on...? Wait, are you?" Mitsuru asked.

"I am merely a harbinger of the Fall." Nyx's Avatar said. "Although Nyx and myself are one in the same."

"Is that so? Regardless, we're going to defeat you, no matter what you are!" Akihiko said.

"I see... Then, you must already know. What people fear most... What they try to ignore... That is what I am." Nyx said.

"You're what's waiting for us at the end of our lives." Shinjiro said.

"Then you understand that it is pointless to resist. Why, then? Why do you resist? There must be fear in your hearts." Nyx said.

"Of course I'm scared." Junpei said. "But I wanna keep on living. There's no use carrying on about it."

"I'm tired of running." Yukari said. "I won't back down."

"Everyone, get ready! Nyx is preparing to attack!" Fuuka warned. From below, I could hear the tortured screams of Takaya and Jin. They had fallen to the Shadows.

"The Shadows are coming! They're coming to see Nyx!" Labrys warned.

"We'll fend them off as we fight Nyx. We cannot falter now. Not while we've gotten so far." Mitsuru said. Nyx spread it's wings, and got ready for combat.

"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate... Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Attaining one's dream requires a stern will and unfailing determination." Nyx said.

All Nyx was doing was smirking at us. That same smirk... it belonged to my Shadow as well. I hated that smirk... I wanted it off its face, right this instant! I unleashed all of my missiles, screaming as I fired at it. Nyx only kept on smirking.

I felt the atmosphere shift.

"Nyx changed it's Arcana!" Fuuka cried out. "It's the Magician, now!"

"It appears that Nyx will change it's Arcana as we fight it." Mitsuru said. "We should be wary of what attacks we use against it. It's properties seemed to have changed as well."

"Damn... this is going to be intense." Junpei said. Nyx rose it's sword and swung down. A wave of darkness flew by us. It was a horrible feeling, sending me to the floor. I looked at everyone else to see that it had the same effect on them as well. I struggled to my feet, and leaped into the air. I came down onto Nyx with a harsh kick to the face. The force of the kick was great enough to send Nyx off balance by just a little bit, creating an opening. Shinjiro ran up to it and slammed down on it with his hammer. Minato motioned for him to get out of the way before he called down Thanatos. His Persona opened one of the tombstones that it wore around it's neck. Inside was a multitude of icicles. They were all fired towards Nyx at lighting speed. There was no time for it to counter the attack.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom." Nyx said.

It changed it's Arcana once again.

"It changed to the Priestess! Do you have any weapons that would work well against that Arcana?" Fuuka asked. I forgot that there were weapons that could be made by the antique store lady that would affect certain Arcana more than others. Unfortunately... those weapons were not part of my arsenal. We were going to have to do this the hard way.

Nyx sat back, taking as much of a beating as it could against us. We wailed and wailed on the monster, but it was doing nothing in response. Was it not caring about our attacks? Was it really going that far as to mock us? No, that wasn't like it at all. It was waiting for a chance to strike to down all of us in one blow, wasn't it? Nyx drew it's massive sword back. That was a bad signal.

"Everyone! Get back!" I cried out. Just in the nick of time they all got away from Nyx. The sword came down so hard that part of the ground had cracked.

"Oh man... I'm glad I got out of that!" Junpei said.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Celebrate life's grandeur... its brilliance... its magnificence..." Nyx said. It changed it's Arcana again. Deep inside my mind I could see that it changed to the Empress. Were my Personas doing this?

"Damn that Nyx..." Akihiko cried out.

"Yeah, just pick one and be done!" Labrys yelled. Nyx spread its arms wide. Icicles formed in the space between its hands. It moved its arms upward until they were over its head and then let the fall down, sending a flurry of icicles at us. Akihiko weaved through the attack expertly, not getting a single scratch on him. I once again put up a shield around us with Athena as Akihiko dealt a fierce uppercut to Nyx.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Only courage in the face of doubt can lead one to the answer..." Nyx said.

"Ugh... just shut up already!" Shinjiro shouted. He moved towards Nyx and held his hammer behind him. He was about to swing it downwards with great force. However, he didn't quite do what he intended. Nyx used its arm to swat Shinjiro away, crashing him into one of the crosses that were still there from when Ikutsuki attacked, along with my Shadow. Before I made any other move, I looked around quickly for any signs of her. She wasn't here... that was odd. Takaya and Jin said that she would be here with Nyx. Were they bluffing to make us scared? Well, I guess that plan didn't work.

Just what was my Shadow planning to do with Nyx? Surely she would know that eliminating the original also eliminates the Shadow... And if Nyx were to bring about the Fall, she would be partaking in her own demise as well.

"Aigis, get your head in the game!" Akihiko yelled. "It doesn't look like it's about to die anytime soon!"

"Right!" I said. I sent Thanatos after Nyx this time instead of Athena or Palladion. Pulling the same trick as last time, Thanatos opened the coffins that were around his neck. He floated in the sky in an upright position before a giant bolt of lightning shot out of all of the coffins and hit Nyx right in the chest.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... It is indeed a precious gift to understand the forces that guide one self..." Can it stop changing Arcanas already? I never remembered this fight being this long... I could see it in everyone's eyes. They were getting tired of fighting Nyx. Shinjiro was panting from his heavy use of his hammer, Akihiko's dodges and punches weren't hitting as hard as they could. Mitsuru was ready to collapse, Junpei was also tired from swinging his heavy weapon. Yukari was out of arrows to fire. Minato was getting tired of swinging his arm around with his sword, and I could hear Labrys overheating.

"No... Everyone, please! You have to stand up and fight! We can't afford to lose against this thing!" I cried out.

"Aigis... we can't go on..." Akihiko said. "We need some rest."

"Can you... stall for us so that we can regain our energy and Labrys can cool down?" Yukari asked. "Don't worry... we'll try to support you with what energy we have left."

"This is such a large thing that you're asking me to do..."

"But you're the only one who can do it right now, considering you're still standing and are full of energy." Minato said. "I can tell that we're at least halfway there."

"Alright... I guess I have no choice." I said. I turned back to Nyx.

"Looks like your fight is with just me now. Leave those guys alone, and focus on me!" I said. I ran forwards into battle. There was no time for ranged attacks or flashy Persona attacks, as much as that's what I excel at. I got in close, wondering how I was going to hurt Nyx, comparing the massive size difference. Its body was about ten times my own height, even though I am a little bit on the short side. I tried to punch Nyx, but it just sat there, looking at me. I guess there was time for ranged attacks after all. I backed away as fast as I could before the sword could hit me once again.

"Athena!" I called. Athena appeared before me, and, knowing what I was about to command it to do, charged her spear with electricity. "Do it!" She pulled her arm back and threw the spear at Nyx. Although it pierced it right through the stomach, it showed no signs of weakening down. Maybe this thing really was immortal...

No. I can't think like this. We defeated Nyx before, and we can do it again.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... There is both joy and wonder in coming to understand another..." Nyx said. This time it spread it's wings. I braced myself for impact as it started to flap them rapidly, creating a might gust that was giving even me a hard time to balance myself. I attempted to move towards Nyx, but the only way I was moving was backwards. I understood what it was trying to do now. It was trying to blow me off of Tartarus. I was the only one that could continue fighting due to my advanced mechanics. The winds stopped after a few seconds, and I could finally regain my balance. I was almost at the end of Tartarus.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... One of life's greatest blessings is the freedom to pursue one's goals." Nyx said. Was it starting to change it's Arcana at will now instead of matching the situation that was at hand? Inwardly, I smiled. This was a big mistake. It was getting cocky, and getting cocky would always lead to a mess-up or two. I smiled as I prepared myself for the onslaught of attacks that would follow until it revealed it's true Arcana.

As expected, it was using it's strongest attacks against me. I barely dodged a God's Hand before it switched again.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... To find the one true path, one must seek guidance amidst uncertainty..." This time it was Justice. I had no experience with Justice Arcana Personas or Shadows, but I could only guess that it would try a Hama skill.

I was right. All around me giant white pillars flew up from the ground. They started spinning, and spinning, and spinning, getting faster and faster by the second. It was like some sort of twisted carousel. I knew what this attack was! I quickly switched the a Persona that could block Hama skills so that I wouldn't be hurt. I've seen Minato use that attack before. If I think about it, it is trying the same tactics that Minato would try out. I guess it's because of the fact that this was nurtured by him without even realizing it, so it'd have his thought patterns. I would have to keep on dodging and attacking if I was going to stall this thing out until everyone regained their strength. I jumped into the air and fired some bullets from my machine guns at it. Nyx created a pink shield around it before any of the bullets hit. They stopped in midair, and turned towards me. Those bullets soon were launched towards me. I ducked underneath of some of them and tried to dodge the rest, but I wasn't so lucky.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... It requires great courage to look at oneself honestly, and forge one's own path..." Nyx changed its Arcana once again, this time to Hermit. We were starting to get into unknown territory here. I had no idea what it would do next.

"Does it really have to keep saying that the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed? I think we got it the second time..." Junpei complained. He ran back into the battle with his sword in tow.

"You're feeling better?" I asked.

"Definitely." Junpei said. "Alright Nyx, mano y mano, let's do this! Trismegistus!" Trismegistus appeared before Junpei and flew right into Nyx, sending it off balance once again. This was my time to strike.

"Athena!" I called out. Athena put up her shield and enveloped it in a heavy, blue aura. Like a car speeding off, Athena charged towards Nyx, hitting it once again. Slowly but surely the others were joining the fight once again. They were all regaining their strength!

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Alongside time exists fate, the bearer of cruelty." Nyx announced.

"It's going to Fortune now!" Fuuka cried out. "How many Arcanas will this monster use?"

"I can feel Nyx getting stronger and stronger as it switches Arcanas. We're going to reach it's peak soon." Mitsuru said.

"Let's do this, Caesar!" Akihiko yelled. Caesar appeared before him and rose the globe that was in his hands. A giant yellow hand appeared above Nyx, and slammed down on him. Shinjiro followed suit, using the same attack with Castor. Minato called Thanatos once again to open up his coffins. This time, fire shot out of all of them like a flame thrower.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Only with strength can one endure suffering and torment." Nyx changed Arcanas once again. Nyx rose its sword once again and then slammed down on us. Afterwards, two large fireballs appeared in its hands. It pulled its arms back and then pushed them forward, sending the fireballs in its hands flying towards us. Akihiko tackled Mitsuru down as the balls of fire chased after her. Was it reading into our weaknesses now...?

"We're almost there... I can feel it." Minato said. "We just have to keep on fighting for a little longer, and we'll finally defeat Nyx!"

Nyx spread its wings once again and started flapping them. The same trick wouldn't work twice. I carefully aimed my guns and fired at the wings that were flapping. I heard Nyx grunt in pain as its wings were pierced by my bullets.

"Nice work, Aigis!" Shinjiro complimented

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... In the face of disaster lies opportunity for renewal." Nyx said. It rose it's hand towards us. A massive dark symbol appeared below us. It closed in around the entirety of the team, but it's effects didn't take place. It missed with the attack is was using! Labrys threw her fist towards Nyx, detaching it and making it attach to Nyx's head. The chain that was attached to her started pulling her towards Nyx at a great speed. She took our her axe and swung it just in time to hit Nyx right across the face.

"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate... Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yet, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are... Death awaits you." Nyx said.

"I sense Death! Nyx's true Arcana is Death!" Fuuka cried out.

"Everyone! Let's go all out!" Minato yelled. "Unleash your strongest attacks! This is our last chance!"

"You cannot avoid Death. To live is to die. They are one in the same..." Nyx said.

"Wait!" I yelled. Nyx moved it's wings to cover itself.

"W-What is that? I don't think it's a good idea to attack Nyx now..." Fuuka said. "It's too dangerous!"

"What's it doing?" Minato asked.

"All I can do is sit and watch..." Akihiko grumbled.

"I think it's preparing for a strong attack..." Shinjiro said. "Everyone keep up your guard."

"I'm not getting a good feeling about this..." Mitsuru was trying to determine what Nyx was about to do.

"What if we stopped it?" Labrys asked.

"No, if we stopped it, Nyx would be dead." Yukari said. "It's got to be doing exactly what Shinjiro-senpai suggested it was doing."

The wings lifted the veil that was over Nyx. I looked up into the sky.

There were massive red balls of darkness that were suspended in the air. They slowly started to morph into cylinders, and shot down from the sky down towards us, and then exploded, covering the entirety of Tartarus. It was stronger than anything that we could have imagined. It was stronger than a Megidolaon, it could even be stronger than Morning Star. Everyone was floored immediately.

"Everyone!" Fuuka screamed. "No! It can't end like this! No!"

Minato struggled to his feet.

"Minato..." I choked out. "What are you doing...?"

"I'm not going to just stand by and let this world be destroyed. You're messing with the wrong people, Nyx. Our wills are what makes us stronger, and I'll use that strength to defeat you!" Minato pulled out his evoker and put it to his head. When he fired, his head flew back a little bit. A bright white light shined down on the entire area. I felt... rejuvenated. I felt like I could stand up and fight some more. I looked over to Minato in awe. A golden dragon was above him. He shot his evoker once more, and a blast of fire singed Nyx. He was summoning all of his Personas to attack Nyx! All of the Personas he was summoning were of our different Arcanas.

It was his representation of all of our bonds... using the ultimate Personas of that specific Arcana. Nyx was falling down. He couldn't take much more of the abuse that Minato was dishing out. We were going to win. There was no doubt about it.

"Messiah!" Minato yelled. His Persona evolved without anyone even realizing it! A giant ray of light shone down on Nyx. I looked on in anticipation as the ray exploded, much like the attack that Nyx used on us did. Nyx was down. We won.

"Did we do it?" Mitsuru asked.

Nyx began to levitate up towards the moon.

"No!" I cried out.

"Such a pity... You understand fate, yet you still fight against it with all of your will... If more people were like you, then perhaps the Fall could have been prevented... but it's too late now." Nyx said.

The clouds in the sky parted to reveal the moon. It was a horrible looking thing. It had one, massive red eye in the center of it, and Nyx was going right towards it. It sent a beam up into the sky towards the moon. The beam pierced the moon's eyeball.

"No..." Akihiko muttered.

"The Fall..." I said.

"At last..." I turned around to see myself walk up the staircase to the final floor. It was clapping. "Hahahaha!"

"You...!" I wanted to strangle it. My Shadow was waiting for this... It was waiting until we were all weakened, wasn't it!?

"Vexing, isn't it? The looks on your faces are priceless. Now... watch in utter and complete horror! I've been waiting for this!" My Shadow walked up to where the Avatar once stood.

"What are you doing!?" I asked. As I asked that question, a wave of energy shot out of the moon. It instantly floored all of us, but my Shadow was still standing.

"No!" Yukari cried out.

"It is useless to resist. You will all die. But most importantly... I will save myself!" Shadow Aigis smiled.

"What are you smiling about...?" I asked.

"I have already told you. My chance to succeed in changing this world is nigh. Farewell, other me." My Shadow started to levitate. Much like how Nyx's Avatar had.

"No..." I realized what it was doing.

"Yes." My Shadow said. I tried to get up and run towards it, but every time I got up, I would fall back down again. "I will take control over Nyx! I will bring about the Fall in my own way!"

I felt my consciousness fade finally. It was all over. There was nothing that we could do...

* * *

"Aigis." I woke up to see the same golden pillar. Philemon had called me back into the Sea.

"Philemon... What am I going to do? My Shadow is going to take over Nyx!" I said. "It has the power to do it, too!"

"Aigis... you have to go up there and face your Shadow. If it has taken over Nyx, then your Shadow will become Nyx itself." Philemon said. "You must go and defeat your Shadow, whatever the cost. The entire world is along the line. I can send you up there to do battle with it. Are you prepared?"

"Of course I am. I'll do anything to save the world." I said.

"Farewell, Aigis. I know you can do it." Philemon smiled at me.

* * *

I finally woke up back in the real world. I looked up at Nyx, somehow finding the power to stand up. I looked at everyone on the floor. Minato was standing as well.

"Aigis!? Minato!? What are you doing!?" Akihiko asked. I smiled as I felt my feet lift off the ground. I was floating towards Nyx. Minato had joined me as well.

"No! No! Don't go!" Labrys yelled.

"Why can't I stand up!?" Junpei asked.

"Why, after all we've been through... Stop, don't do this! Come back!" Yukari yelled.

* * *

"Aigis... What's happening to us?" Minato asked. We were inside of Nyx, floating towards something. That, I knew was my Shadow.

"Minato... I didn't expect the fact that you were going to come with me for this." I said. "This is my battle. My Shadow plans to take over Nyx."

"How is it going to do that!?" Minato asked.

"I have no idea how..." Nyx's entire body started shaking violently. Something was happening... "It's already started! We have to hurry!"

"So, you've made it!" I heard my own voice say. "I was waiting for you. I knew that you were going to come here."

"Why are you doing this!?" I yelled. Minato and I finally touched the ground. We stood in front of my Shadow. I could feel it's power radiating from it.

"You're too late, though. Nyx and I are one." My Shadow said. It's voice was even more twisted than normal.

"You..." Minato growled.

"Even though this power is incredible... I want even more. You have to use power to get what you want, right?" Shadow Aigis asked me.

"No... not at all." I shook my head.

"So even now you're going to deny me? Pathetic. Even in the face of Death itself you're going to defy me. That's fine... I'll kill you and take your place immediately."

"Not if I can help it!" Minato yelled. He tried to attack my Shadow, but she swatted him away with ease.

"Farewell, Aigis." My Shadow said. It lifted it's left hand up into the air, using the same attack that Nyx's Avatar used against us that sent us all to the floor. I felt the full force of the attack.

"Can't we do anything!?" I heard the voice of Akihiko yell.

"We have to believe in them!" Shinjiro yelled. Even though I was far away from them, I could still hear their conversation.

"Give them strength! Take my life if you must!" Mitsuru yelled.

"Yeah, I'm willing to give mine too!" Yukari's voice.

"They're going to face it all by themselves!" Fuuka said.

"No, they're not alone! I won't let them die!" Junpei said.

"I won't allow this world to be destroyed!" Labrys yelled. I found the power to stand up and fight once again. My Shadow attempted to use the same attack once again, but it didn't work.

"You're full of anger." I said. I started walking towards her, with Minato watching me. He too was walking towards my Shadow. "But that doesn't mean that you have to take it out on the entire world. There are other ways of conveying your anger. You believe that the strong are the ones that will survive, and you want to remake the world to suit you better. But face it. You only want to remake the world because you'll be the one that's normal. If not that, then you'll be revered as a God. And you're undeserving of that role. You can fight me all you want, but there's one thing that you can't do. And that thing is accepting your weaknesses. You depend on hurting others to feel good about yourself because you don't feel normal. You feel like a monster... that you don't belong. I'm not saying that these are your feelings alone. No, you're my Shadow. These are mine as well. But staying with my friends, getting through thick and thin with them together showed me that I'm not out of place. That I'm not a monster. I'm no demon. I'm a person. A living, feeling, person. You're the part of me that can't accept that... so you try to throw away your emotions."

"Shut up! Shut up shut up shut UP!" My Shadow yelled. "I'LL KILL YOU!" It tried to use that same attack again, but it wasn't going to work.

"The same trick never works twice." I said.

"I'm going to kill you all!" It yelled.

"That's not going to happen." Minato said.

"I don't believe you..." My Shadow said. "I'm a monster! I'm not normal at all!"

"Oh, Aigis..." Minato looked towards me.

"I told you before... I'm not denying you anymore." It froze in place as I pulled it into a hug. It didn't know how to respond. "Let it go. Just let it go. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be here for you."

"I just want someone other than you to accept me!" My Shadow said. "I just want acceptance, that's all!"

"Then if that's all you want, I accept you." Minato said. "When I first saw you, I was terrified. I wondered why at first... but then I realized. I shared the same thoughts as you. I wanted nothing more than to die. I didn't care about life... I didn't care about my friends. But meeting with everyone at SEES... that taught me something. That taught me that friends matter. It's nice to have them. After I thought about that... I could only look at you in pity. You're the other half of Aigis that she didn't want to admit at first. I have to accept you, right? I learned a lot on my journey thanks to the both of you. Do you know what I'm saying, Shadow Aigis? You helped me out. You helped me realize that there's nothing more important in this world than friendship."

"Do you see now?" I asked. "There are people that accept you. I'm sure that if you went down to SEES and told them about what you were feeling, they'd try to help you out of whatever you're feeling. You're not a monster. You're me."

It was an odd sensation... seeing my Shadow smile as wide as it did. I was surprised when I saw it. I could tell Minato was too! It started fading away, going back inside of me. I sat back as I watched everything in Nyx fall apart. I knew that we were going to be safe, though. We always made it through by the skin of our teeth.

"It's finally over..." Minato said. "It's finally over! We did it!" He held up his hand for a hi-five, and you'd better believe that I didn't leave him hanging.

"So... how are we going to get out of here?" Minato asked.

"Beats me. But we'll get out of here by some unknown power. That's how these kinds of things work, right?" I smiled. We sat back to back against each other, and started to rest. It was a tough battle, we deserved it.

* * *

We woke up standing outside of Tartarus, at the gates.

"You're okay!" Labrys yelled.

"They're back!" Mitsuru said. The ground started to rumble. We turned around to see Tartarus. It was dissolving. A faint smile spread across my face. The moon of the Dark Hour has shrunk back to it's normal size, Nyx no longer taking it's place. Tartarus was completely gone, and the horrible look that the city took on during the Dark Hour faded away. The coffins that littered the streets became people once again. The blood that was scattered on the ground faded away.

Everything was right again in the world. The Dark Hour had finally faded away. We were victorious.


	25. Beginning of a New Fight

By a stroke of luck Nyx was defeated, causing the Dark Hour to fade away into oblivion. Just by accepting my Shadow, who had became one with Nyx, got rid of the threat. Once I got rid of my Shadow, Nyx soon followed. The battle was over without casualties. However, I was still tired from yesterday. I would have to spend some time to feel better. I remembered that the others felt the same way after accepting their Shadows. They were all incredibly tired for a week, but they sprung into action.

Yukari's prediction was right. I passed by Shinjiro yesterday and he didn't say a word to me, not that he would have done it anyway. But... there was always a certain level of recognition that you felt before. Now... it was like he was a total stranger. We were all strangers to each other now. I was completely alone.

Being alone wasn't the best of feelings, but that's the price of saving the world, right? Well, I didn't do it all by myself. Minato took a large part in it as well. If he wasn't there, then I don't think that my Shadow would have accepted what I was saying to it. I guess all it wanted was someone else to accept it.

I couldn't help but feel bad for the poor thing. It's inside me now... living on as a part of me. All of that pain and suffering if faced... it was also mine. But I had realized the greatest virtue that life had to offer before it had.

Friends. All you really need in the world to be happy is friendship. Without it, I would have never been able to defeat Nyx. None of us would have been able to. Everyone played a large role in the battle against it. However, that's something that I shouldn't think about.

I, apparently, wasn't the only one that kept my memories of what happened. Minato had too. That was something that put a large smile on my face. At least I had Minato with me until Graduation Day. We continued to go to school together, cracking jokes about things that happened that the others wouldn't get because they don't remember.

"Aigis, you're always so tired..." Minato said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's common to be a little bit tired after facing yourself. I'll get better before Graduation Day, I swear it." I said.

"Good. I don't want you being half dead when we're all supposed to meet up." Minato said. "Hey, did you hear about what they did to that back alley?"

"No, I didn't. ...What'd they do to it?" I asked.

"They got rid of all that graffiti and stuff! It's actually not that bad of a place. Oh, and that club that was behind there... they changed it into an arcade!" Minato explained.

"That's really good. They seem to be cleaning up the town now that the whole "Nyx" crisis has been solved." I said.

"Are you two paying attention, Aigis, Minato?" Mr. Ekoda asked. He was the one teaching for the day, as much as I hated him.

"Yes, we're paying attention." Minato said. "It's nearly the end of the year, though... can't you at least lighten up?"

"No, I can not lighten up. A good student needs discipline until the very end of the year, and when they come back, give them even more!" Ekoda said.

"Sheesh..." Minato slumped in his seat.

* * *

Minato and I had returned to the dorm early. It was always sort of a "hangout" spot for us now. Everyone was always doing their own thing, not even talking to each other. It was odd seeing Akihiko and Mitsuru paying no heed to each other.

"You said that you would be feeling better in a week, right? Well, when you feel better, then how about we go and have something at Hagakure?" Minato asked.

"Sure." I said. "I wonder if we'll see anyone else there..."

"Ah... the only one that matters right now is you." Minato said.

"You're such a flirt, Minato..." I smiled.

"What else am I going to do?" He asked.

"Gee, thanks... when you put it that way it sounds like I'm a hassle!" I said.

"But you're far from it. I have nothing else to do, really. Although, if I did have anything to do, I'd do it with you." Minato said. He was about to lean in for a kiss until the door opened.

"You two are home early." It was Yukari.

"Oh, Yukari-san. How was school today?" I asked.

"It was pretty good. I just can't wait for Graduation Day to come! Talk about a load off my shoulders... I need to find myself a boyfriend..." Yukari muttered, walking past us.

Yukari and I stayed good friends even though she didn't remember anything about the Dark Hour and what we've been through. Minato, on the other hand, had kept 'being bros' with Junpei.

I was getting a little tired, so I walked off to bed for the night.

* * *

Graduation Day was just around the corner. I was feeling much, much better, too!

"You're looking better." Minato commented. I looked at him and smiled.

"I feel like twice the person I was before we won." I said.

"You DID NOT just make that joke!" Minato yelled.

"What's wrong with it? It's true!" I said.

"But that's as bad as one that Ikutsuki would say!" He said. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that."

"No. No, you're right. You just reminded me of the fact that he's nowhere to be found, that's all." I said. Ikutsuki had made it out alive this time. He was still out there, and he was obviously planning something to use against us.

"Let's not worry about that bastard until something shows up." Minato said. "Tomorrow is our Graduation Day."

"Yeah. Why don't we head to the rooftop to wait for everyone?" I asked.

"Sure. I'll meet you there." Minato smiled at me.

* * *

Minato had joined me up on the roof for Graduation Day instead of going to watch Mitsuru's speech.

"The wind feels nice..." I said. "You know, there's always something about spring that's just beautiful."

"I have to agree with you there, Aigis." Minato said.

"I don't mean to get all sappy, but this spring is more symbolic than the others. Spring's about birth, and we defeated Nyx, so in essence, this is the birth of the new world. The world that we made a possibility. All of us." I said.

"I wonder how that speech is going for Mitsuru... She has to mention her father." Minato said. "I know that she still isn't feeling that good about his death, either."

"I'm sure that she'll do it fine." I said.

We spent a few moments together in silence, holding each others' hands. Finally, I decided to speak.

"I don't want this peace to ever end." I said.

Minato looked into my eyes. "Me neither."

"Minato... I'll always be by your side... protecting you." I said.

"I won't leave you, either." Minato said.

"You two are such big saps..." I turned around to see Junpei. "You know, can't you save it for later? We gotta celebrate, dudes!"

"Yeah! We saved the world!" Yukari said. Everyone had approached us. The ceremony was over, it seemed. They were all smiling at us as they walked towards the two of us.

"We should totally plan on what we're gonna do next." Junpei said. "I mean... we've got a life ahead of us now!"

"How ironic... Your Shadow tried to kill us, but in the end it saved us all." Shinjiro said. "You know, I've gotta cook something for us all."

"Wait, Senpai! I wanted to try to do it, too!" Fuuka said.

"Oh, that's right. I've been trying to teach Fuuka how to cook." Shinjiro said.

Shinjiro is a man of patience. I'm sorry to admit it, but Fuuka is a horrible cook.

"So, what are you three going to do now that you're out of high school?" Yukari asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to go to college." Mitsuru said. "You should do the same when you're done."

"You're really pushing us, huh? Man... are you gonna be like this the entire time we're in our senior year?" Junpei asked.

"But of course!" Mitsuru nodded. "You may have one the battle against Nyx, but you haven't won the battle against education!"

"Minato, what do you want to do when you get older?" I asked.

"Huh, me? Well, I haven't really decided yet." Minato said.

"Me neither. Looks like me and you are traveling down the indecisive path together!" I said.

"But you two are always together!" Labrys said.

"Who cares?" I asked. "He's mine!"

"Whoa, there's that fire in Aigis's eyes again!" Junpei said. "Better watch out, Labby! She's got claws and she's not afraid to use em!"

"Oh yeah...? Well I ain't gonna let my sister scare me!" Labrys said.

"You two shouldn't start fighting, even if it is a sisterly quarrel. There's no need for it anymore." Shinjiro said. A smile actually spread across his face.

I could feel reality tear apart.

"Yeah. Shinji's right. The world is saved." Akihiko said.

"I still can't believe that we actually made it through, you know?" Yukari said. "Back then, it felt like fighting Nyx was going to be some impossible thing to do, but we actually defeated her. We actually defeated Nyx... I still can't believe it."

"This is the end result of all that we did together throughout this year." Minato said.

"You know, I wonder what Ken or Miki would say about this..." Akihiko said. "I hope that the two of them are proud, staring down at me from up above."

"Let's go to the dorm. School's finally over, and so we're going to spend as much time as we possibly can together!" Junpei said.

"Of course." Mitsuru said. "I understand that this isn't the time to really say this kind of thing, but I am thinking of making a group specially designed for combat against this kind of calamity, should it ever happen again. I'm calling it the "Shadow Operatives". I would like for all of you to join."

"You're right. We should worry about whether or not something would happen that's like what happened here. But, that's not what we're going to do now. When the time comes is our time to worry. However... I'm in." I said.

"You're got me in as well. I'm sure that everyone here'll join in." Akihiko said.

"Yeah. Alright everyone, it's time for that good ol' cliche group cheer!" Minato said. He motioned for everyone to form a circle and put his hand out. Everyone put their hands on top of each others'.

"To a new future!" Minato yelled.

"To a new future!" We all repeated, throwing our hands up into the air.

* * *

Soon, months passed without me even realizing it. Me and Minato and everyone else finished their senior year. While I, Minato and Yukari moved on to college, Junpei didn't. He said that he wanted to go be a pro baseball player.

Whatever that meant.

Labrys was also not going to college as well. She really didn't know what she wanted to do with her life, now that there was no such thing as the Dark Hour anymore. Akihiko also didn't move on. He had gone on some kind of quest to train. When it comes to the two of them, I really don't understand them. The inner workings of their mind were an enigma. It surprised me that Shinjiro went to college to become a cook. He was always so ashamed of his talent for cooking, too.

Everything seemed like it was going fine for us all. We had exactly what we wanted in life, and there was no Dark Hour or Shadows to stop it. Ikutsuki was nowhere to be found as well, so that was also a good thing. I was very excited to start my new life.

However... peace was never something that lasted.

"Aigis, the phone!" Minato called. We continued to stay in the Iwatodai dormitory. It was like the Shadow Operatives' base of operations. It was kind of empty, however, as Akihiko was somewhere in the world, Junpei was with his baseball team, Yukari was becoming an idol, playing in that show for kids titled "Phoenix Ranger Featherman R". She was the pink one. I forgot it's name. It was really only me, Fuuka, Minato, and Labrys in the dorm. Fuuka had grown her hair out long, and had it in a single braid. Minato stayed practically the same, as did I. Labrys didn't change, either. I didn't know what the others looked like anymore. They didn't even manage to stay in contact. Oh well, you can't have everything, now, can you?

"Aigis, come on!" Minato yelled, snapping me out of my deep thought.

"Coming, Mina-chan!" I said. I ran quickly to Minato and took the phone from him.

"Hello, this is Aigis." I said.

"Ah, Aigis. Good to hear that you're still okay. Look, do you remember what we said that we would do on the roof of Gekkoukan all those years ago?" Mitsuru asked. Yes, the promise to be part of the new "Shadow Operatives" was made two years ago. I don't know why Mitsuru was saying that it was "all those years ago", though. Maybe it just felt like a long time.

We were pretty inactive, I must say.

"Yes." I nodded.

"Well, we finally have our first mission." Mitsuru said. "There's been reports of heavy activity in a country town that we need to do some investigating in. I heard from a operative that was stationed in that area that it had something to do with Shadows. I don't like the looks of it, so I'm gathering us all to go to that town and investigate."

"All of us? The entire team? But that's a lot of people!" I said. Mitsuru had recruited a lot of people for the Shadow Operatives, and I mean a lot of people.

"You misunderstood, Aigis. I meant everyone who was a part of SEES." Mitsuru said. "It looks like the old team has to go in and find out what's happening there."

"Really!?" I asked excitedly. "So, where are we going?"

"I'll have an operative pick you up when you get there, but you're going to the small, boring town of Inaba." Mitsuru said. "We'll all meet at the hill that overlooks town there."

"Wait, you even got Akihiko to come? Junpei and Yukari, too? Aren't they doing things?" I asked.

"I pardoned them from what they were doing for now, until the investigation was over. Akihiko keeps a phone on him, so I messaged him." Mitsuru explained.

"He had a phone!?" I asked. "Damn..."

"Just board the train that's taking you there... take Fuuka, Labrys and Minato along with you. Shinjiro's already there." Mitsuru said.

"Alright, alright. See ya there, Mitsuru." I said. We had long abandoned the need for using honorifics. We really didn't need to use them.

"I'll see you there, Aigis."

"Wait, how are you arriving?" I asked. Mitsuru only laughed to herself in response, and then hung up the phone.

"So, it's time to finally get into action? My trigger finger's itching for action!" Minato said.

"Come on, come on, let's go to that town." I said.

* * *

The train ride was as exceptionally as boring as the one that I had go to through when my adventure first began. After we got out of the train, we decided to take a look around our new base of operations. It was a cloudy day, which is what Mitsuru said to expect. This place apparently has a lot of rain and clouds to it. I couldn't see civilization for miles. All I saw were fields of crops.

Just as I was about to complain about how boring this town looked, I heard the most annoying and obvious horn ever. It was the kind of horn that you would hear in those TV shows... I turned to see a very old, rundown car pull up. The window rolled down to reveal a man with short black hair smiling at us. He had an awkward smile to him. He himself looked someone that would be a trustworthy kind of guy.

"Hey! Mitsuru-san told me to pick you guys up!" He said, waving towards us. He motioned for us to get in the car.

"This is our ride?" Labrys asked. "Damn..."

"What were you expecting? An old car would be less suspicious than a fancy one. Were you expecting a Lambo to pull up? You know that this group's all about secrecy." Minato said.

"Well, I wouldn't have minded a limo." Labrys said. We, to the best of our ability, squeezed into the car.

"I'm part of the team that's assembling to investigate the Shadows that are appearing. My name is Tohru Adachi." He introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Minato, this is Fuuka, the one with the rude mouth is Labrys, and the blond girl is Aigis." Minato introduced us all.

"Alright. Let's head to the rendezvous point." Adachi said. I looked out the window of the car with an apathetic expression on my face. Shadows were in THIS dump?

"You're lookin' like Minato, Aigis. Smile a little." Labrys said.

"Oh, shut up." Minato said. Those two had something that I could only describe as a rivalry that could outclass a sibling rivalry going on. Those two acted like they were brother and sister, anyway, so I could call it a sibling rivalry.

"You two are like little kids sometimes..." Fuuka said.

* * *

Adachi had pulled up to the hill that had overlooked the town. He got out of the car and led us to a bench. Mitsuru was sitting down there. She looked up from whatever she was looking at and smiled at us.

"Glad that you could make it." Mitsuru said.

"Uh, Mitsuru? The fuck are you wearin?" Labrys asked.

"Watch it, Labrys!" Minato warned.

Yes, Mitsuru was wearing rather... questionable clothing today. He had a black bodysuit on, that hugged every single curve of her body. There was nothing left for the imagination now. Over that suit, she had a white fur coat on. There was a sheath at her hip, to hold her rapier.

"Aigis, I didn't know you dressed so... classy..." Mitsuru commented. I was wearing a black long coat that was buttoned all the way up. I had to say, it was kind of nippy outside, so I wore it.

"We're here." I heard a familiar voice say. It was Akihiko.

Oh... my... god...

I mean... Minato's hot and all... but... damn, Akihiko...

He was going completely shirtless. He had only a red cloak on, along with brown jeans that were ripped. He had a huge scar on his chest. I wonder where he got that from? I would have to ask him all about his battle scars sometime. Junpei had also walked up to us. He was wearing a blue baseball suit, which was actually pretty standard. Nothing too flashy like Mitsuru and Akihiko. I myself could be included in that group, but at least I'm not revealing my body as much as they were.

"Sup dudes? Been a long time..." Junpei said.

Just when I was talking about flashy, I saw Yukari walk up. She was wearing her Phoenix Ranger Featherman R suit. Wow. I had to suppress a laugh.

"Phoenix Ranger Featherman Pink Argus reporting for duty!" She cried out, striking a pose.

"You're embarrassing me..." Junpei said.

"Oh, shut up!" Yukari and Junpei started bickering to themselves.

"Um, Mitsuru? Mind if we get to the point here?" I asked.

"Yes." Mitsuru cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "Shadow Operatives, we are here today to investigate what or who is behind the heavy Shadow activity in this region. Therefore, we are all going to be staying here until we find something out about what is going on and we prevent or subdue it. I suggest that we all ask around town about anything odd that's been happening lately, and report to this address." Mitsuru said. She handed us all a slip that had the address of a house on it. I registered it in my systems, so I wouldn't forget. Knowing Mitsuru and the amount of money that she had access to, it was probably something like a mansion. Ever since she inherited the Kirijo Group, she's got a lot of money. That's why she has herself three limos. One of them even has machine guns installed!

"Alright, let's all get to work then." Akihiko punched his open hand. Shinjiro had finally joined up with us. He was the only one who I couldn't notice a visible change in.

"What is this, some kind of murder mystery?" Shinjiro asked.

"You never know what this could turn into. We have to do this. It's our job." Mitsuru said. "And remember, do not, and I repeat, DO NOT reveal who you are. You are to be covert. We are not known. We are the invisible."

"Yes, we get it, Mitsuru..." Akihiko groaned.

* * *

Everyone had split up, going to different locations. I decided that I would head down into the local supermarket to ask people around there if there was anything odd that was happening. I would report back to Mitsuru afterwards at the rendezvous point.

I quickly found my way to the supermarket that was named "Junes". The place where I would find the most people would be the food court that was located one floor above where I was standing. I took the elevator and went up there.

When I got there, I sat down at the nearest table and started to listen in to the different conversations that the people were having. Mitsuru said that if we don't find anything, we leave at six. There were three hours that I had to listen in on conversations to see. People love to gossip, so I was sure that there would be something that I would find out like this.

I saw three teenagers walk up to me. One with long, brown hair that was unkempt. He was male. Another male that had silver hair in a bowl cut, and a female with the same bowl cut, only her hair color was green. The brown haired one pointed to the table that I was sitting at.

"Do you mind if we sit here?" He asked. "There's no other seats open."

"Of course, I don't mind." I responded. The three sat down at the table and started talking about what they did at school today. I forgot, today was the day that teenagers went back to school...

"That was really brave and really stupid, what you did today." The girl said to the silver haired boy. "Standing up to Morooka like that!"

"He was pushing me around, and I wouldn't have it." The boy in question responded.

"Dude, that was totally awesome. Don't listen to what she has to say." The brown haired boy said.

"So... have you guys heard about that scary rumor?" The girl asked.

Instantly, my interest was piqued.

"Oh, you're not going to go on about that Midnight Channel bullshit, are you?" The brown haired boy asked. He had a look of annoyance on his face. The other boy seemed generally interested in what the girl had to say.

"Yeah, I am. Got a problem? Well, they say that if you look into a TV that's been turned off in the middle of the night while it's raining, you'll see your soul mate!" The girl explained.

"You'll see your soul mate...?" I asked, entering the conversation.

"Yeah!" She nodded. Could this be linked to the shady activity going on?

"I find that hard to believe." I responded.

"Then you should try it! Tonight it's going to be raining. You should see if your soul mate shows up!" The girl nodded again.

"Ma'am, please discredit everything that Chie says." The boy with the brown hair told me.

"Shut up, Yosuke!" The girl named Chie yelled. The boy whose name was Yosuke stuck his tongue out at Chie.

"No, this seems like it is interesting! I want to go and check it out tonight." I said. This could be a lead. If it's going to raining tonight, and that rumor was true, then it was the work of Shadows.

"We should all do it! Let's watch the Midnight Channel tonight and see what shows up!" Chie exclaimed.

The silver haired boy nodded. I could tell that he wasn't one for speaking to people. Just like Minato was when he first came back to Iwatodai.

The three left the table that I was sitting at, leaving me an open space to call Mitsuru.

"Yes, this is Mitsuru." Mitsuru answered.

"Mitsuru, I think I've found a lead on this Shadow activity here. There's something that's been going around called the "Midnight Channel". It's said that if we watch a turned off TV in the middle of the night while it's raining, then your soul mate is supposed to appear." I informed. "Who do you think you'll get? I bet it's Akihiko!"

"N-Now's not the time for that, Aigis! Just... just come to the address." Mitsuru hung up the phone. I always loved making her flustered.

* * *

The address that Mitsuru gave me led me to a normal looking house. I was so glad that it wasn't a mansion. I wasn't ready to live the life of luxury just yet! I walked into the house and quickly found a seat. I seemed to have gotten here before everyone else. The house was very normal. A little too normal, in fact.

She's lucky I like houses like this. There was a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a basement floor, and two bathrooms. I decided to explore a little and found that for every two members of the group, there was a bedroom. I could totally understand why you would have to cut down on the rooms, considering there's a lot of people that's going to be coming here. Especially this "Adachi" guy that she put into the Shadow Operatives.

"Hello?" It was the voice of Fuuka. I returned to my position at the couch.

"Hey, Fuuka! How was your search?" I asked.

"Boring." She said.

Soon, everyone else came to the house. Looks like the whole gang was all here. Plus that Adachi guy. I kinda felt bad for him, I gotta say. He doesn't have any idea who we all are and what we did together. Still though, I sensed a powerful Persona inside of him. Maybe that's why Mitsuru sought him out for the Shadow Operatives. That, and he was, from the looks of it, a detective in this town.

"So, it's all agreed? We're all going to watch this "Midnight Channel" tonight and see if this is really related to Shadow activity. If not... someone's getting demoted." Mitsuru said in a sing-song voice.

"Wow... geez..." Adachi rubbed the back of his head. "I'm just saying that the rumors that were going around here were what you were after, right?"

"Yes, of course. I was only messing around." Mitsuru said.

"Haha... what a cruel way to mess around." Adachi noted.

"You get used to it, Adachi-san." I said.

* * *

Soon, it was time for that Midnight Channel. We made sure that the TV was off and that it was raining outside. Suddenly, the television started up. I stared in awe as the television displayed someone that looked like a young girl on the screen. She didn't look too happy, either. I couldn't see what she looked like, though. She was blacked out. The Channel faded away, and the TV turned off again.

"Whoa. What was that?" Junpei asked.

"The Midnight Channel, you dummy!" Yukari yelled.

"Fuuka, did you get any Shadow readings from that?" Akihiko asked.

"Yes... a big amount, too. We've got some Shadows on our hands." Fuuka said.

"But how are we ever going to find them and get rid of them? The Dark Hour is over. Been over for two years." Minato asked a good question. How are we going to find the Shadows?

"Right now, we should rest and gather more information on this "Midnight Channel" tomorrow." Mitsuru said. "You rooms are upstairs. You can have one roommate, so choose wisely.

"Well, you know who Aigis is choosin." Labrys said.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" I asked.

"Nothin. Just sayin that's who you're choosin." Labrys said.

"Jealous?" Minato asked.

"If Aigis wasn't right next to ya, I'd be throttling ya." Labrys said. Minato only smirked as the two of us walked upstairs, followed by the rest of the group.

And here I go thinking that our entire mess with Shadows was over... there's still more Shadows to fight! Well, I'd gather more information tomorrow and see if I can find a way to fight the Shadows. My question is... how?


	26. Light the Fire Up in the Night

Today was our second day of investigation. I had to get ready. Minato said that he would be going back to Iwatodai to get something that he forgot, whatever the hell that was. Personally, with those kinds of things, I didn't trust him. He had left, and the rest of the team went off on their own to find out clues. I was once again by myself.

The best I could do was investigate this Midnight Channel some more. I reached for the television stationed in the room that I was in. I heard a voice... like it was beckoning me closer.

'That's it now... just come a little closer... I'll save you... I'll save you from the terrible nightmare of reality.'

I was entranced. I couldn't stop myself from touching the screen. It was irresistible. My finger touched the screen of the television. Expecting it to stop there, I was taken aback when my finger went through the television screen.

I felt a pull on my arm, like the television was trying to swallow me alive! That made no sense! I felt a hard yank pull me closer. I had flipped over the table, sending everything that was on top of it to the floor and overturning the table itself, and I also managed to knock the lamp that was near the TV down as well. My face hit the television's solid part hard. With enough struggle, I finally received my hand back from the television's clutches.

Could I... enter the television? There was only one way that I could check. This television was too small, so I would have to find one that could fit my entire body inside of it. I recalled the Junes supermarket. If it lived up to its reputation, then it would surely have a television big enough to accommodate my size. I grabbed my overcoat and walked out of the house. It was time to go exploring inside of a television, if I could fit in there.

Wow... if I said that, it would sound pretty weird, wouldn't it?

* * *

I quickly reached the electronics department of Junes, finding it a breeze thanks to the map of the area I got off of my database. In just a day, I knew Inaba inside and out. That was something that no one could boast about. It was practically impossible to get as acquainted with an area like that in just a day.

I looked around for a television, wading past many people, and looking at different sorts of appliances. Screwdrivers, game systems, electronic toys, phones, televisions...

Televisions!

I snapped my head towards the biggest one that I saw. It was obviously enough to fit me in there. I think a call is in order! I ran outside of the department store, making sure to mark the television on my radar, and sent a text to everyone saying that "there's something important that I have to show you, come to the Junes Department Store as fast as possible".

I sat down at one of the benches and enjoyed the beautiful, cloudy, murky town until someone arrived. This place was SO boring. There is literally nothing to do here. Teenagers that live in a town like this... I feel bad for them.

I heard loud, muffled rap music playing in the distance. A jet black Lamborghini drove up to the department store. The window of the driver's seat lowered.

"First we gonna ROCK then we gonna ROLL!" Minato was singing along to the music that was playing in the car.

"Minato." I deadpanned. "We're a covert force. You have brought a fucking Lamborghini with you. Is that the one that you got for your birthday?" I asked. "The one that I bought for you!? You drove that thing all the way from Iwatodai to THIS DUMP!?" Minato turned off the music and took off the mirrored sunglasses that he was wearing. He flipped his hair to the side and seductively gazed at me.

"You can't tell me that this is the greatest car of all time." He said. "Besides, you know you like it. Why don't you get in the back and we can have some fun? Haha! I'm just kidding. I got your text. Let's go." I watched him park the car in the parking lot and walk to me.

"Where's this TV, now? I heard you almost got eaten alive?" Minato asked.

"Who parked the fuckin' Lambo out there!?" Labrys yelled, walking up to us in a frenzy.

"If you touch my car, you're dead." Minato glared at her.

"That's... your car?!" Labrys asked in disbelief.

"Oh yeah." I nodded. "I bought it for him for his birthday. He was getting his driver's license and all, so I decided to get him something."

"Do you know how much those things cost?" Labrys asked.

"Yes. Mitsuru is rich, so she helped me buy it." I said.

"I wish I had something like that..." Labrys sighed.

"Yo dudes! We're here!" Junpei said. The rest of the team approached us all.

"Is that your car over there, Minato-san? It's really nice!" Adachi complimented.

"Can we stop talking about his Lambo and get inside?" I asked irritated that they were paying attention to the car and not the fact that I called them here for something that was very important.

I led them to the electronics department and found the exact TV that I marked on my radar.

"Alright, now, watch this." I said. I reached for the television, the exact same way that I did for the one stationed in the house. My finger touched the screen, but white ripples were being sent out from the contact point. Pressing it harder, my entire hand went through the television screen, and then it was followed by my arm. Much like the last time, I felt my entire body be pulled into the TV, but this time, I let it happen. I turned so that my head was the only thing coming out of the TV.

"Touch the TV and come inside along with me." I said. "I think this might have something to do with Shadows!"

The Shadow Operatives all had dumbfounded looks on their faces. It was to be expected. I mean, how many times have you seen a girl touch a television and then go inside?

Mitsuru was the first to snap out of her trance. "We should go inside of the TV. Aigis may be right."

"I never thought I'd be going inside of a television in my entire life." Shinjiro commented before sticking his hand into the TV. I submerged myself fully into the TV. I felt nothing holding me up in the air. I turned in the air to see that I was falling!

"Oh, son of a bitch!" I swore. I hit the ground hard. "Ooh... my head..." I put my hand up to my head. I didn't know how a robot could experience headaches, though. I looked down to find that my landing had made an impact crater.

"Well, that's what happens when you're combat mode weighs one ton and you're made of titanium..." I thought aloud.

"I think I just landed on my wallet..." Junpei said, getting up and rubbing his backside. Yukari started giggling at his pain.

"Oh, be quiet, Yuka-tan!" Junpei said. "You sure you didn't break any of your Featherman shit?"

"It's not shit! I'm an inspiration to little kids everywhere!" Yukari returned.

"But you're still embarrassing me by having that on!" Junpei said. "Can't you at least change clothes?"

"Why are you two bickering like an old married couple even more than you did years ago?" Akihiko asked.

"You really don't get it, do you, Akihiko?" Junpei asked with a smile on his face.

"Me and Junpei started dating!" Yukari smiled.

As if the television thing wasn't a big enough surprise... now this!? I was about ready to keel over and die from the shocks that I was getting from everything today.

"You two...?" Minato asked. "That's about as rational as Labrys going out with a toaster."

"Hey!" Labrys yelled.

"Let's just focus on where we are, and how to get out!" Mitsuru said. "There's obviously no exit here, and Aigis isn't powerful enough to hold ALL of us while flying with her jet boosters, so we need to explore."

"I'll stay here and provide support like usual." Fuuka said.

"Fuuka, why don't you come with us? All of us are going in at once, and I'm sure that it's not a good idea for you to stay here by yourself." Yukari suggested.

"Actually, I might do that." Fuuka said.

"Alright. Then it's settled, we're all going that way!" Junpei said, pointing to the left.

"We can barely see a thing, Junpei." I said. "How do we know where we're going?"

"I sense people who are also inside of here! Maybe we should go after them?" Fuuka asked.

"Yes, that seems like a good idea. It may lead us to an exit for this place. Yamagishi, if you would lead us there." Mitsuru said.

* * *

We found something that looked exactly like the shopping district of Inaba. I looked up into the sky, seeing that it seemed like a red and black portal up rather than a sky. The entire area had a "Dark Hour" feeling to it. The streets were barren. All of the other buildings except for one didn't have any color.

"How weird is that? Fuuka, are you sure that this is the right place? It's like we're in the shopping district, only it's creepy." Minato said.

"I'm certain that this is the right place."

"Hahahaha! That's right, say it again!" We heard a voice say.

"Is someone in trouble?" Akihiko asked. "We should hurry. It sounded like it was coming from that liquor store." We ran through the shopping district and found the liquor store, "Konishi Liquors", and ran inside. The boy identified as Yosuke, the silver haired boy, and a bear were inside of the store. There was another Yosuke, which I could tell was a Shadow because of it's yellow eyes. The store looked like it was ravaged by some sort of tornado.

"You're not me! You're nothing like me!" Yosuke said.

"That's right. I am me now, you hear?" The Shadow said, walking forward. It floated off the air and was enveloped by a white light. It faded to reveal some kind of frog monster with an upper half of the human body on top of it.

"Oh no! It's a Shadow!" Fuuka cried out. The silver haired boy and the bear turned towards us.

"Who are you!?" The bear asked. "I know! You're the culprits!"

"The culprits of what?" Minato asked.

"You threw that girl who died in here, didn't you!?" The bear asked angrily. He walked up to me and pushed his finger into my stomach. It had no effect on me whatsoever, and only served to annoy me.

"Died...? A girl was thrown into here and died?" Shinjiro asked. "Then there's only one possible reason for her death if that's the case. You were right, Adachi. There's Shadows involved."

"How do you know about Shadows?" The bear asked.

"Why don't you leave us alone while we do our job?" Labrys asked, walking towards the transformed Shadow.

"Although it is kinda odd. Our Shadows never transformed." Junpei said.

"How do you know about the Shadows!?" The bear pressed on.

"Shut it." Shinjiro said. "You're annoying us and we're not going to have any concentration. Just stand back and let us professionals handle this."

"No way..." I heard the silver haired boy say. "That's my friend! I'll save him!"

"You're too weak to fight that monster." Minato said. "You're going to die if you continue to think the way that you are thinking. It's better to leave this to us rather than risk yourself and die trying to save someone. Besides. You may have a Persona, but you just awakened to it."

"How do you know about Persona?" The silver haired boy asked.

"How do you know that he has a Persona?" Mitsuru asked. "Yamagishi... what do you sense out of him?"

"He... has the potential, Mitsuru." Fuuka said. "But like Minato said, he is weakened from activating it. It'd be a waste of energy to fight that Shadow the way it is now."

"If you say that you can protect Yosuke... then do it." The boy said. "I'll stay by his side and wait for that monster to disappear."

"But, Sensei! They're the culprits!" The bear said.

"No, they're not. I can see it in their eyes. They're not bad at all. Although I would like to know more about them when this battle's over, we can trust them, Teddie." The boy said.

"Sensei..." The bear said.

"Trust them, Teddie." The boy said.

"You're boring me! I'm going to crush all of you!" The Shadow that was standing there started to move, finally getting bored with what we were doing. I walked towards us and rose it's gigantic hands. I just barely got out of the way of it coming down on us, pulling anyone I could along with me. Fuuka ran to the back of the store where the Shadow couldn't get to her and summoned Juno.

"I will support you the best that I can." Fuuka said. "I know that you can defeat this Shadow!"

"So, what's this one's major deal?" Minato asked. "Don't these types of Shadows usually reveal the hidden emotions of people?"

"Does it look like we know? We ain't been here to even see it." Labrys said.

I jumped into the air and fired at the Shadow's knees. They seemed to have at least some effect on the Shadow, making it flinch in pain as every bullet hit. Akihiko rushed towards the Shadow and threw rapid punches at it. I was surprised at the amazing speed that Akihiko had worked up over the years. I guess that training that he did really did pay off for him. Shinjiro moved in and rose his hammer above his head. Before he got a chance to bring it down, the Shadow swiped it's leg at him, sending him away from it. Shinjiro was thrown into some empty beer bottles that were stacked, knocking them over and even falling on some of the glass.

"Hahaha! That's what you get for being so slow, asshole!" It taunted.

"Shinjiro!" Junpei shouted. "You're gonna pay for that, dammit! Trismegistus!" Fire erupted around the Shadow, encasing it in it's flames. The smoke of the fire was cleared immediately by the Shadow's arm, reaching out to grab Junpei. He struggled in it's grasp, dropping his katana.

"Caesar!" Akihiko yelled. A bold of lightning struck the Shadow, making it recoil. Junpei dropped to the floor and quickly grabbed his katana. While the Shadow was stunned, he gave it a good slash and then ran back to the rest of us. This Shadow as a little bit dangerous as it was agile. It's size was deceiving.

"Good job, Akihiko! You found the enemy's weakness!" Fuuka said.

"So, a weakness to lighting, huh?" I asked. "That's good!"

"What are you talking about, Aigis?" Minato asked.

"Don't tell me that through all these years, you haven't seen me do it! I've made it my signature move, even!" I said.

"Are you really going to start running your mouths again!? You're boring me to tears, bitch! Get on with the show if you've got something to show me!" The Shadow called out, pointing to me.

"Athena!" Athena grabbed her spear and charged it with electricity. It was a move that I had used on Nyx when we fought it. Athena would charge her spear with electricity, and then throw it at a lightning speed. You would have to have amazing reflexes to dodge the attack. Athena threw her spear at the Shadow, making a clean hit on it's protrusion at the top. The Shadow screamed in pain as darkness flowed over its body, concealing it from us. The Shadow had reverted to its original form, the boy with brown hair that was known as Yosuke.

"This... this is me...?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes. You have to accept it or you'll never move on in life." Akihiko said. "I learned that the hard way."

"You all... faced yourselves too?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah. You gotta do it to move on, kid." Junpei said. "I mean... are you really gonna let that thing tell you what's right and what's not? You gotta make your own path."

"Yeah. You're right. I guess... when you get down to it, you and I are two sides of the same coin." Yosuke said. The Shadow rose up into the air and was enveloped in a blue light. It transfigured into a Persona.

"This... is my Persona. The same power as Yu's." He said, turning to the silver haired boy. So, his name is Yu, huh?

"You guys are Persona users as well." Yu said. "What are you doing here inside of this television? And just who are you guys anyway?"

"That's information that's on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know. Stay outta trouble, kid. Although I'm sure that now that you have a Persona, you're not gonna listen. That's alright." Minato said.

"You can read him well." I noted.

"He's just like me on the inside when I first got a Persona." Minato said.

"I want answers!" Yu said. "Tell me the truth!"

"We already told ya that we can't, dude!" Junpei said. "What don't you get!?"

"Oh, stop it, Junpei. Can't we at least tell him what he wants to hear just this once? It's not like he's going to stop badgering us about it anyway. And besides, he's just a kid. What's he gonna do?" Yukari asked.

"I suppose that we're not going to get out of here without giving you a little information like Yukari speculated. We are a group of... I suppose you could say "Shadow hunters". We find places that are ridden with Shadows and dispose of them immediately. We're a covert force. We stay in the shadows, much like our enemy of the same name. We are known as the Shadow Operatives. If there is more Shadow activity, then I suppose you should expect to see us again. Let's find a way out, Yamagishi." Mitsuru explained.

"Wait! I can show you guys the way out!" The bear said. "My name is Teddie! That was amazing work that you did there, Sensei number two!"

"M-Me?" I pointed to myself. He nodded his head and smiled at me. This bear wasn't an ordinary bear, however. I could tell already from my scanners. He was not a bear but a Shadow. This was rare, though. I've never seen a Shadow that was benevolent before.

The Shadow bear led us to the entrance of the television world that we found when we fell in the TV at the department store.

"Oh, I guess if you want to keep on exploring here you need to wear these! I made these especially for you all!" The bear said. He made things for us that fast? He's hardly even known us! There were glasses in our hands for each of us based on our fashion choices. Mine wasn't so much glasses as it was a combat visor. It attached to my headband easily, and could be stationed above it. It also didn't get in the way of my cool down drives, so that was also good.

"Thank you, Teddie." Yukari bowed. "Now, will you please show us out of here? We'd like to go home."

"O-O-Of course!" Teddie seemed to be flustered by Yukari. He rose his hands up into the air and made several televisions appear. They were stacked up on each other, and were just wide enough to send us though to the others side.

"In you go!" Teddie yelled, shoving us all in the television. I felt a hand cup my backside.

"Where the FUCK are you touching, asshole!?" I yelled.

* * *

We all were kicked out of the TV and fell in to the electronics department of the store. Thankfully, there were no people around so we could get out without drawing attention to ourselves.

"Thanks for helping me out, guys." Yosuke said to us. "I don't know how to thank you."

"Yeah. You were a great help." Yu bowed.

"Goodbye." Minato waved, walking off. I went along with him, followed by the rest of the team.

* * *

"So then... from what we gathered from the information that we received today we can clearly say this: Someone is using the television to murder people with their Shadows. If that continues, then there could be a disaster on our hands. We've also noted thanks to Adachi-san that we have until the fog of the town sets in that the victims die. I think we've got ourselves an actual murder case to investigate here, team. It could lead us to whoever is controlling the Shadows." Mitsuru said.

"So... you want us to play Scooby Doo to find the guy who's making Shadows appear?" Junpei asked. "You know, that actually isn't a bad idea. I'm in."

"Count me in too. I don't want to see anyone else get murdered by the hands of Shadows anymore." Akihiko said.

"I got no time to lose." Shinjiro said. "Everyone agree on this?"

"Yeah." I nodded. Everyone else agreed too.

It was all set. We were now officially investigating a murder.


	27. Reasoning

The only thing that you could really do that was even remotely fun around Inaba was sitting down at home. There was really nothing to do here. It was a boring, rundown town. It's the perfect spot for someone to attract Shadows. No one would even care! The only thing that was well-known around here was Junes, and that was a supermarket.

I did hear about the "Amagi Inn", but what I did hear about it really didn't interest me. I heard that it was just an ordinary old inn that's survived through decades and decades. I suppose that the only other thing that I could do was go talk to Adachi and get to know him. He didn't seem like all that bad of a guy, and if he was one of our partners in this, then we would have to be able to work together for things.

I lazily got out of bed and put on some clothes. Adachi was sitting down on the couch, reading the newspaper. I sat down next to him.

"Hey, Aigis. What's up? You're not going to do anything today?" Adachi asked, putting down his newspaper and looking at me.

"Well, there's nothing to really do in this town. It's such a bore..." I admitted. Adachi laughed at that remark and smiled.

"I feel the exact same way." Adachi said. It's nice to know that I wasn't the only one who thought this place was boring. I didn't understand how Yukari found this place to be interesting to her. Then again, if she's dating Junpei of all people, then there's something wrong with her head. No offense to Junpei, though.

"You're in the Shadow Operatives, so that means you have a Persona, right? How'd you awaken to yours?" I asked.

"My Persona...? Oh, you mean that thing that comes out of me sometimes. I really don't know how to control it, it just happens. But the furthest memory that I can remember of it was first getting it on a call to arrest someone that was armed and dangerous. I had tried to arrest him, but he suddenly turned the tables on me and had me pinned down to the floor. After that, he got on top of me and rose his arm. I guess he was trying to beat me down while I was on the ground, but all of a sudden, this red and black thing just shoots up out of me and grabs him by the neck. After that, he was thrown into one of the buildings. Then I saw him get electrocuted! After that, everything just stopped and he passed out on the ground. Everyone thought that I killed the guy and they sent me to this dump. It was a few weeks after that when Mitsuru-san came to me and recruited me for this "Shadow Operatives" thing. I thought it was pretty interesting, and she did promise that it would help tame my out of control Persona, so I agreed." Adachi explained. "And... well, that's about it."

"Wow... that's interesting. You're just like someone that I knew. His Persona would keep on coming out without him wanting it to. I didn't think he wanted anything to do with controlling it, so he took pills to suppress it. Finally, those pills killed him in the middle of battle." I said. I was referring to Takaya. I was later informed that he didn't die after getting attacked by the Shadows that were progressing upwards throughout Tartarus. He was killed by the Persona Suppressants that he was taking, along with Jin.

It was a sad fate, but it was one that man deserved.

"Well, let's just hope that doesn't happen to me, am I right?" Adachi asked.

"I should hope not. Maybe we should all explore the television world tomorrow now that we have an exit and a way to see inside of there. We could go and find some clues on this murder case. Probably bring whoever is doing this to justice." I said.

"Are you two seriously talking about the case on a day like this?" Yukari asked, walking downstairs. "Aigis, I found this really great place for some clothes that would look so good on you! Me and Fuuka are going, come along with me!" Before I knew it, I was dragged over to Junes by Yukari, along with Fuuka. I could tell that she wasn't wanting to go either.

"Save me..." She whispered.

"Oh, come on, Fuuka! It'll be fun!" Yukari smiled.

* * *

Once again I found myself at the supermarket, wondering what I was doing here. There was really no reason for me to get any more outfits to wear because I already had a lot. I guess Yukari just wants me to look like someone from Inaba instead of someone from the city.

I'd rather look like someone from the city. I hate the country.

"This looks cute! What do you think, Aigis?" Yukari asked.

"I think we've been through this before." I said. I do remember her dragging me somewhere for clothes in Iwatodai as well. I ignored the outfit that Yukari was shoving into my hands.

"What do you think then, Fuuka? Does this look good on Aigis?" Yukari asked.

"Oh, it's you all!" I heard a voice call out. It was the boy, Yosuke. I forgot that he worked here during the day time. He walked up to us with a big smile on his face.

"You're from that group of people that saved me, right? I wanted to give you a proper thanks, so I prepared a free meal for you at the food court." Yosuke said. "I mean, you don't have to eat it if you don't want to. I know there's someone that would absolutely love it and would eat it all."

"We'll go and have it, Yosuke-kun. It's the least that we can do, right girls?" Yukari said. Fuuka nodded her head.

Hey, I was all for free food. I happily accepted his offer.

* * *

"You're all set up over there." He said. We sat down and started eating what he put out for us. I guess the Junes specialty was steak. I had been seeing a ot of steak around, too.

"So... did any of you guys notice the look on Labrys's face when she saw Yosuke yesterday?" Yukari asked. "It was sooooo cute!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You didn't see her, Aigis? She looked so flustered! It was adorable! I think she might like Yosuke." Yukari said.

"Uh... I don't even think she knows what that means." I said. "I still have to teach her how to use phrases and stuff like that."

"But still, it was adorable." Yukari said. "We should try to set those two up!"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Yukari..." Fuuka said. "It's never a good idea to mess with love. Just look at Aigis."

"What's that supposed to mean, Fuuka?" I asked. Fuuka started laughing along with Yukari. "Oh... I get it... I'm not THAT overprotective of him!"

"Minato said that it was going to be raining tonight. We should probably go and check out the Midnight Channel." Yukari said. We finished our steak and went back home.

* * *

We all surrounded the television in anticipation of what the Midnight Channel had in store for us. The television started up as the program started to show.

"Hello dear viewers! It's your princess Yukiko Amagi here for her hunt for her prince charming!" The camera zoomed in on her breasts and her hips. "And this time I've worn my lacy unmentionables! Welcome to Not a Dream Not a Hoax! Princess Yukiko's Hunt for Her Prince Charming! Well, here I go!" The girl that was shown on screen ran into a castle that was stationed in the background.

"Duuude..." Junpei was mesmerized by the show.

"Junpei you idiot! Your girlfriend is in the same room right next to you!" Yukari yelled.

"Heh heh... sorry, Yuka-tan." Junpei rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, that was... interesting, to say the least." Minato commented.

"Why would anyone do that...? Just... go on television and show someone their tits and everything?" Labrys asked.

"Labrys!" I said. "Language!"

"Well, I'm just saying!" Labrys rolled her eyes. "Alright, either way, we've got someone to go in and save, right? Isn't that how Teddie said it works? Once they're in the television, their Shadows come and taunt them and then if they can't accept it then they kill them when the fog arrives on our side, right? We should go in there and save her tomorrow."

I went to sleep early that night, thinking about who could be behind the case. I hoped that we would find whoever it was quick so that we didn't have to spend a long time in this run down boring old town.

"You really don't like this place, do you?" Minato asked. I turned to him and frowned a little.

"It's so boring." I admitted. "There's literally nothing to do here unlike Iwatodai. I'd rather be there, but since there's a murder case going on here and I can't just abandon the Shadow Operatives, we're stuck here until we find the culprit."

"I know... it's kinda boring around here. I can actually see what that kid's Shadow was talking about when it said that everything that bores him is stupid and shouldn't exist." Minato said. "It's not that I agree with it, it's just that I can get it's point."

"I know, I know. You know, it's always interesting with you around anyway. You and Labrys." I said.

"Well, I do my best..." Minato smiled.

"Apparently Labrys has a crush, or so I've heard from Yukari." I said.

"Really? And who's that?" Minato asked.

"That Yosuke kid!" I responded. Minato's eyes lit up, and he gave me a startled look.

"Are you serious? Heh... here I thought that she would try for Shinjiro or Akihiko." Minato said. "Well, I guess Shinjiro's not really interested in girlfriends, and you can feel the sexual tension from Akihiko and Mitsuru. Junpei's going out with Yukari, too. Wow. Who knew that we would find our boyfriends and girlfriends in the same team as each other? It makes it easier to spend time with you, at least."

"What do you think of Labrys, by the way? You and her are always fighting with each other." I said.

"I like to think of her as a sister of some sort, but I'm sure she just fights with me because of her personality." Minato responded.

"Oh, I get it... I think that Labrys feels the same way as well, though. I wanna get to bed, now, so good night. Hope I'm in your dreams..." I smiled.

"That's the corniest thing I've heard yet." Minato smiled, closing his eyes.

* * *

The team lined up at the television in Junes. Labrys watched for the customers before we all jumped in. Inside of the TV Fuuka immediately got to work on tracking that girl who was in here down. We had already figured out the basic formula of this whole thing. Whoever shows up on the Midnight Channel dies. After one month's time, the fog appears and that person dies because they run into their Shadow. I felt three other presences behind us. I turned around to see Yu and Yosuke, along with a girl.

"Who are you people!?" The girl yelled. "What are you doing inside of the TV!? Are you the guys that threw Yukiko in here!?"

"Whoa whoa girl, calm down! We're here to save your friend." Labrys said, walking towards the girl.

"Yeah, calm down Chie. They must have seen the Midnight Channel and they came in to find Yukiko-san. With more than two people, we'll be fine. Also, you can't really see here, so that's another reason you should get the hell out of here." Yosuke said.

"Why don't you make me, Yosuke!" The girl named Chie threatened, grabbing Yosuke by the collar.

"Ease up on the kid." Junpei said. "He didn't say anything wrong to you."

"I know... but Yukiko..." Chie said.

"Look we've all had friends in trouble before, but you need to stay put. You can't fight in this area. It would have been best for you to stay." Akihiko said.

"I've found her." Fuuka announced, dismissing Juno.

"I'm not going to sit by and watch you guys save Yukiko! I'm going in there!" Chie ran past us, into the foggy, unknown world.

"What a hard head... looks like we'll have to go after her." Yu groaned.

"It should be easy. She can't have gone far without glasses that help her see through the fog." Yukari said.

* * *

Fuuka led us to a castle like area, that was a lot like the one that was in the background for the Midnight Channel starring that Yukiko girl. There was something off about it, though. Instead of just one powerful Shadow, I sensed two powerful Shadows. That meant that the girl that ran off must be with her Shadow right now!

"Guys, we might need to hurry up and get to that girl. I think she might be in that castle with her Shadow right now." I said.

"Oh, that's right! You have Shadow scanners, Aigis." Fuuka said. "Well, we'll do it the way that we normally always did. Minato's the leader, and he'll pick three people to go with him while the rest of us stay here."

"I'm going to go." Yu said.

"I'll be with him." Yosuke said. "Take us with you, please!"

"Fine, fine." Minato said. "Then that means that my final party member is gonna be you, Ai-chan."

"Alright. Let's get in there and save the two of them." I said.

"The rest of you, why don't you go and find Chie while we find Yukiko?" I suggested.

"Good idea. Splitting up'll let us cover more ground." Yosuke said.

"Wait, Sensei! I'll help you out while the blue haired girl helps out the others!" Teddie, the Shadow bear, exclaimed. He forcefully tagged along with us into the castle.

* * *

Inside, there were multiple Shadows that were traversing the halls. No way that I could get through without fighting them. Minato smiled at me.

"You're going to fight them, aren't you?" He asked.

"Of course. What do you think?" I responded.

"You don't have a weapon! Don't tell me that you fight with your fists... you look too frail!" Yosuke said. "No offense."

"Minato said the same thing when he first met me." I replied, taking out my cannons.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Yosuke cried out, seeing the giant cannon come out of my back. I fired a shot at the table that was walking down the halls towards us, blowing it up instantly.

"Wow..." Yu stared in awe. "You can't be human... what are you, anyway?"

"I'm a robot." I responded. "An Anti-Shadow Suppression weapon. Last one ever made. You could say I'm the perfect model for an Anti-Shadow weapon, not that I mean to brag."

"No! That's not the truth!" I heard a voice yell.

"Oh no... we should get going!" Minato warned, running up the stairs of the castle.

Upstairs, we saw that Yukiko girl with her Shadow in her princess outfit standing on a throne.

"How can you deny what I'm saying when it's the truth? All you want is for a knight in shining armor to take you away from that horrible place that you call the Amagi inn and leave forever, never to return. You hate the fact that everything is forced upon you!" The Shadow yelled.

"No, you're not me!" Yukiko yelled.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." The Shadow smiled as it transformed. This time, we were up against some kind of crazy looking bird in a cage. Yukiko fell over as Teddie grabbed her.

"That one's really tough..." Teddie warned. "Be careful!"

"No no, it's fine. It's nothing that we can't handle." I said. "In fact, I'll finish this in a flash! Watch this!" I activated something that I haven't done in a while: Orgia Mode. I felt my limiters disable themselves as I flew up to the bird-like Shadow and started firing at it.

"Izanagi!" Yu called. A ball of lightning shot from his Persona. It hit Shadow Yukiko and shot it out of the air. I came down on the Shadow as it was on the ground and stomped on it's stomach area.

"Nice combo move you two!" Yosuke cheered.

For some incredibly odd reason... I felt sluggish. Was it because I wasn't using Orgia Mode for a while and I couldn't handle it anymore? No... that can't be it... could it?

"You're right where I want you!" The Shadow yelled. I stared at it's beak in awe as fire started to form. I tried to move, but I couldn't.

"What's wrong with me!?" I yelled.

"SYSTEM OVERHEAT. SHUTTING DOWN." A robotic voice from within me said. It usually could only be heard when there was a dire circumstance at my hands. Usually it was just inside my mind, considering it's MY motherboard, after all.

"Son of a bitch." I said before falling down. The last thing that I saw was my entire body get engulfed in fire.

"AIGIS!" Minato yelled.


	28. Handing Over the Torch

"AIGIS!" I practically screamed, running towards her. Just what in god's name happened!? She was going so fast in her Orgia Mode and then all of a sudden she shuts off! I heard that voice inside of her... her systems overheated...? That couldn't be. She normally had one hour in Orgia Mode before that happened.

"Minato-san, calm down! That's just what the Shadow wants!" Yu yelled.

"I'm at least going to get her the hell out of there!" I yelled back. Who was this guy to tell me what I could and couldn't do for my girlfriend!?

"Just let him get to her, at least, Yu. It looks like he really cares for her. Let's make him an opening, though! Jiraiya!" Yosuke yelled. At least that guy had some sense to him. A blast of wind sent the Shadow flying away from Aigis as I made a beeline to her. That Shadow blasted her with a large amount of fire before she overheated. I was more than worried about her safety.

When I reached her, I wanted to puke. Her face was burned beyond recognition, and parts of her armor had melted. I called the bear over while Yu and Yosuke fended off the Shadow.

"What is it, Minato?" Teddie asked.

"Don't look at this girl's face, it's real disgusting. That's first. Second, I want you to get all the way out of here and back to the television's entrance. Talk to Fuuka. She's got blue hair, only a shade lighter than mine. Tell her that she needs to take Aigis out of here and get her back to the lab immediately. Something's wrong with her systems." I explained carefully and slowly so that the bear would get it.

"Sure thing, Minato! You can trust Teddie!" Teddie said, bumping his chest with his hand.

"I'm trusting you to handle her with care. I care for her... deeply." I said. Teddie nodded his head and ran off with Aigis in tow. I turned around to the Shadow who was getting a beating from Yu and Yosuke.

"You can hurt my friends." I took a step towards it and took out my evoker. Yu and Yosuke and the Shadow itself stopped to look at me. "You can hurt me."

"What's going on...?" Yu asked. "This power..."

"But when you hurt Aigis... THE GLOVES COME OFF! THANATOS!" I shot the evoker, not even bothering to adjust my glasses after the blast. Thanatos slashed the Shadow into the air and opened his coffins. They fired icicles at the Shadow, piercing its wings. It screamed in pain as the shards entered its body.

"Minato!" I heard Fuuka's voice.

"What is it? Can't you see I'm trying to kill this thing!?" I asked.

"That's exactly it! If you keep on unleashing that kind of power against it, then this entire castle is going to crumble down!" Fuuka warned. "Make that girl accept what her Shadow is saying to her!"

"Fine... it can't move anyway. I made sure of that." I spat on the ground as I walked towards that Yukiko girl.

"You. What that thing over there is saying is the truth. You have to accept that fact, and do it quickly so I can go home and try to help out Aigis." I said. I know that wasn't the best way to go about it, but I really did want to get home and help out Aigis. I know that I couldn't do anything for her, though. She would have to be sent to the lab for repairs and remodeling. Thank god there's still some scientists that worked on her still around.

"Y...Yes..." The girl walked up the the Shadow that was on the ground. It had reverted to it's original form. "I think I can understand what you're getting at. I guess I really do think that there's nothing to do... and that everything that's here is forced down my throat. Sometimes I just can't take it anymore... sometimes I just want to run away or scream. But that's something that a child would do. I'm no child, though. I think I can start appreciating the Inn finally, thanks to you, no, I guess I should say my help. Would that be right though? I dunno. The point that I'm getting at is that you and I are the same." Yukiko said. Her Shadow smiled at her and it transfigured into a Persona, much like it had for Yosuke. I wondered if Yu ever faced his Shadow yet.

I know that I haven't. I don't think I wanna know what that would say to me, either.

"So this... is my Persona...?" Yukiko asked.

"I think that we should head back now. You must be really tired, Yukiko." Yu said. "Besides, your friend is in trouble, Minato-san."

"That's right." I said. "Does anyone have a Traesto Gem?" I asked.

"Teddie gave me this thing called a "Goho-M." Yu said. "Do you think it has the same effect?"

"Well, it sounds like you're saying "Go home", so why not?" I shrugged. I didn't know how they worked. I usually just held them above my head until something happens.

A white light enveloped us and I felt my body start to move. It had worked, thankfully.

* * *

We exited the TV world for the day, mostly because we saved the two girls that were thrown into here and the fact that we would have to give Aigis some serious attention, and fast. Mitsuru had taken Aigis with her on her way to the lab that was in Yakushima, where she was made before. She hoped that they could do something for her. I hoped that they could do something for her.

"Minato... are you alright?" Labrys came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder. I was sitting down in my room, just staring at the wall and listening to music. I paused the song and looked at her.

"I just want to be left alone right now." I said.

"I know how you must feel..." Labrys said.

"Then you'd know not to come in here." I said. "Just... just go hand out with Junpei or something. They're going to be more fun than I am at the moment."

"You can't just plug in your ears and block out everything around you just because something you didn't like happened. She's my ACTUAL sister. How do you think I feel?" Labrys asked.

"You're right... but still. Can you just leave right now?" I asked. "I want to be alone."

"Alright... I'll respect your wishes for right now, kay?" Labrys said. "But tomorrow I expect you to be downstairs!"

"You're saying that like you're my sister." I said.

"Well, aren't I?" Labrys smiled at me before she walked downstairs, giving me no time to respond.

How are we brother and sister? Aigis said the same thing yesterday... Maybe it had something to do with the way that we act around each other... Yeah. That's it.

I would have to wait until there's more action going on with the culprit before there would be anything to do, so I went right to bed.

* * *

I had walked over to the Junes department store because it really was the only place where you could hang out with anyone in this town. I sat down at the food court and put on some music for me to listen to. I had no intentions of talking to anyone here anyway. It's not like Junpei or Akihiko or Shinjiro come here anyway.

Once again, I got all sorts of looks from girls that were walking by. I was like some sort of chick magnet. Junpei was always pissed when girls walked by and only noticed me. I thought it was pretty hilarious how angry he got.

"Duuude, how come you get all the chicks!?" He would ask.

Then Aigis would yell at me. ...I really need to get her off my mind. I don't know how long it's going to be until she gets back, and if I keep thinking about her then I won't be able to focus. I just can't understand why her Orgia Mode only lasted that long before she overheated...

I got up and got myself a bottle of water. When I sat down Yosuke was walking by. I hoped that he didn't notice me... for some reason, I just couldn't stand those two kids. More so that brown haired chick that had ran off.

"Hey, Minato-san!" He waved to me before sitting down next to me, much to my displeasure.

"Hi." I responded bluntly.

"Yo! You're part of the group that saved me and Yukiko, right? Thanks!" The girl that I was just talking about ran up to me. Soon, Yu had came up as well. They all sat down around me.

"You're welcome. Just don't do anything hasty like that again." I said. "What are you guys all here for?"

"We just wanted to come and say hi!" Yosuke explained. "I mean, you are part of the team, right?"

"What team?" I rose my brow.

"The Investigation Team, of course! That's what we're calling it!" Chie said. "We want all of you guys to join, too! Hey, where's that blonde girl? She's always with you."

"Chie, you might not wanna talk about that." Yosuke said.

"Why, what's wrong? She's always near him and I just wanted to know why she's not here!" Chie said.

"She's gone." I said. "Your friend's Shadow burned her."

"Oh my god... I'm so, so sorry..." Chie touched my arm. I glared at her, and she instantly removed it. "Oh, sorry."

"I don't want to talk about it." I stated.

"Well... let's just get off of this topic, then. We were waiting for Yukiko to get better before we did anything else." Yosuke said. Yukiko... I hate her the most. Yukiko is the sole reason that Aigis was hurt that badly.

I know that it wasn't directly her fault, but I was still pissed off.

"Minato-kun! What're you doing here?" Labrys walked up to the table that we were sitting at and took a seat right next to me. She edged a little bit too close to Yosuke.

"Wh-What are you doing, Labrys?" I asked.

"I came here to see you!" Labrys smiled at me.

"Alright, so I guess we can say safely that we should wait until Yukiko-san gets better so we can ask her questions about the case." Yosuke said. "Uh... Labrys-san? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Staring at you like what?" Labrys asked. "I'm not staring at you."

She was totally staring at him.

"We should be heading home now." Yu said. "It's getting late, and my uncle wants me home early."

"Alright, see ya guys!" Chie smiled.

* * *

"Minato, someone on the phone's here to talk to you." Mitsuru walked up to me and gave me the phone.

"Hello?" I asked. Who would be calling me at this hour?

"Mina-chan! How's everything going!? I heard that you beat that Shadow to a pulp."

"Ai-Aigis!? B-but how!? You got burned badly!" I asked. How was she able to talk to me? Aren't they repairing her?

"Nothing's really wrong with my head. It's just the rest of the body. They've gotta remake my entire frame and stuff like that... I'm not gonna be there for a while. I told Labrys that I wanted her to get along with you a bit better while I'm gone, so if she's getting a little clingy, you can blame me." Aigis said.

"Well, she thinks that we're brother and sister, if that's what you mean." I said.

"I knew that would happen eventually! She's always thought of you as a brother, Minato. You two practically fight like siblings anyway, so there's no need to start acting different around her." Aigis said.

"Oh, yeah. She's definitely been acting differently around someone I know." I said.

"Let me guess. Yosuke? I knew she had the hots for him!" Aigis said. She sounded like she was smiling as she said it.

"How's your face?" I asked.

"If you saw me right now you'd FREAK out. They took all the burned skin off so I'm like the Terminator right now." Aigis responded. "They're working on getting some new state of the art artificial skin for me. They said it's gonna be different from the artificial skin I had before. I gotta go for now, Minato. I'll talk to you later. Expect me to be calling every night from now on!"

"Don't worry, I will. You just made my day by calling me." I said. "See you when you get back."

"Right." Aigis said, hanging up the phone. I went to bed easy that night.

* * *

"Dude. You see it too, right? The way that Labrys acts around that kid?" Junpei asked. He had finally gotten some time off from Yukari, so me and him were talking to each other while walking down the shopping district. We were admiring all of the stores that had closed down due to Junes.

I bet Yosuke feels real good about himself knowing that he's working for the company that's putting all these small companies out of business.

"I know. She's always around him whenever I see him. It's a wonder that he hasn't snapped at her yet." I said. "But then again, he does kinda look at her the same way she looks at him. It's bound to happen. I guess love at first sight really does exist, huh?"

"Well, that's how you and Aigis got together, right?" Junpei asked.

"Nah. We've been together for a very, very long time. Since I was five, I think." I said. "I was at the lab with her before that incident with Death. I always followed her around calling her "Big Sis" and things like that."

"Ah, so your relationship developed at a very young age!" Junpei noted. "Maybe, just maybe she was designed to be your lover!"

"What a farfetched idea... You've got to be kidding me, Junpei. That kind of stuff never happens." I shook my head and shrugged. It was something that I had made my own thing.

"But what if it's true? That'd be the craziest thing ever!" Junpei smiled.

"You haven't changed at all, you know that?" I asked.

"I know. Yuka-tan always yells at me because of it. "How come you haven't changed yet I have!?" She would always yell at me. Then I'd come back with "At least I don't wear some kind of stupid spandex all the time!" Well, not that I mind the spandex..." Junpei rubbed the back of his neck.

"You're such a pervert. You know that's frowned upon." I said.

"I know I know... I can't help it, though! I'm a ladies man at heart, dude!" Junpei smirked.

"With you around, there's never such a thing as boredom." I commented. He agreed wholeheartedly, going on some kind of tirade about how he was the best at keeping people entertained and things like that. While I listened to him, I couldn't help but wonder... who's next on the Midnight Channel?


	29. Battle Tendency

I was sitting outside, at the hill that overlooked town. I liked coming here. It was peaceful up here, and the best part: I was alone. There was no one that could bother me while I was up here. I usually came up here to think, anyway, so Labrys and the others would usually leave me alone.

I'm talking about this place like I've been here for months! Well, it has at least been a month since I've arrived here. I kicked my feet up on the bench and leaned back. I shut my eyes and started listening to some music.

These headphones that I have are the ones that Aigis got me for my birthday. I cherish these like they were the pair that I handed off to Aigis herself.

"Hey wait... isn't that...?" I heard a familiar voice say.

It was like everywhere I went I would get no peace. I took my legs off the bench and sat upright. I turned off the music and looked around to see who the speaker was. Sitting right next to me was Fuuka.

"Hi, Fuuka." I said. At least it wasn't that Yu kid or Yosuke or Chie or Yukiko. I really didn't mind Yu or Yosuke as much as I did Chie and Yukiko. Chie had an annoying voice, and Yukiko has no personality whatsoever. She's like a stepping stone to walk on.

"How are you? You know... after what happened to Aigis and all." Fuuka asked.

"I feel a lot better, now that I can actually talk to Aigis during the evening. She said that she's estimating her return to be sometime in June." I said.

"Well, that's not too far away. Two months, I think. Even less than that!" Fuuka smiled at me encouragingly. Everyone must have been worried about me, huh? They didn't have to worry. I'm fine.

"Did someone send you or something? Cause if they wanted to know if I was alright, they could have just asked." I said.

"No, no! I came here because I wanted to, Minato. If anything they would have sent Labrys for you. They know that you two are really close." Fuuka said.

"Well, I can't argue with you there. How's the investigation going? Got any new leads?" I asked. I wasn't really taking part in the investigation as much as the other members of the team were. I was sort of laying back and getting some information from gossipers.

"We don't have any new leads, unfortunately. Hey, Minato, what do you think of Mitsuru? She's taking this a little bit too seriously if you ask me." Fuuka said.

"From what I've seen of her, I can tell that she's putting her heart and soul into this. While the detective that's in the group is sitting down reading the newspaper all day. It's funny, really, it's like the same thing that happened when we were known as SEES is happening again. I'm here alone, Junpei's a pervert, Yukari and him are playfully fighting with one another, Aigis and Labrys are just there, Akihiko's focused on training, Shinjiro's a stone wall, and Mitsuru's taking this a little too seriously." I stood up. Fuuka stood up with me. I walked over to the edge of the hill to gaze down at Inaba below.

"What do you think of those kids?" I asked. "They're calling themselves the Investigation Team."

"I think that they're nice kids, even though they're trying to get entangled in our work. You don't like them, do you Minato?" Fuuka asked.

"I don't."

"They only mean well..." Fuuka said.

"I can understand what they want to do. They want to stop this murder case as fast as they can, much like us. It's not their ideals or beliefs that annoy me, it's their personalities." I said.

The sun had started to set, and I decided that it would be best to return to the house for now. I wanted to see if there was anything on the Midnight Channel tonight. Fuuka and I walked home together.

* * *

While there was nothing on the Midnight Channel, I did see an interesting show on the news. It was a local report about a boy named Kanji Tatsumi who crushed a local biker gang on his own.

When questioned about his mad skills at fighting, Kanji walked towards the camera and gave the most beautiful string of words I have ever heard. Even Labrys of all people was surprised.

"Hey, what the fuck are you looking at you little prick!? This ain't no show! Get bent!" He yelled. The last I saw of the report was the camera man running away from Kanji, who had thrown a chair at the man. Labrys and I were laughing our asses off while the others were astounded at the fact that today's youth had degraded to such madness.

I have to say that I did kind of agree with them. But, an 18 year old doesn't need to think about that now, right? Wait until I become old and grumpy and shit like that before I start cursing today's youth. The phone and rang, and I instantly knew who it was. I walked to the phone and sure enough, it was Aigis calling.

"Hey Aigis." I answered. "What's up?"

"Hey, Minato. How's the investigation going? Got any new leads? I wanna stay informed so when I come back I know what's up." Aigis said.

"Well, we saw the best news report ever made, but that's about it." I said. "How's everything going with your repairs?"

"It's going good. They already restored my skin and all, now they just need to remake my entire body." Aigis explained.

"That's good! You'll be coming home just in time for summer break for those little kids in the Investigation Team as they're calling it. I think they were wanting to go to the beach, wherever that might be." I said.

"Well, I gotta go now. Fitting my disembodied head into a new torso and all." Aigis said. "Bye."

"See ya." I hung up the phone.

* * *

I was walking down the street of the shopping district when I saw four kids outside of a house. It was obviously that "Investigation Team" that they're naming themselves. Yu, Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko were all talking to a blonde haired boy. That was Kanji Tatsumi. I recognized the face from the biker gang special on TV that Labrys was so crazy about.

She reminded me of the type of person to get into a biker gang. Well, Kanji wasn't taking too much of a liking towards the Investigation Team. From the looks of it, he was threatening to beat them to a pulp. It was fine by me, but I had to go in and stop him from doing anything too rash. They were my friends. At least I should protect them.

"Hey, you're that guy from the biker gang special on TV, right?" I asked, waving while walking up to him.

"Yeah, so what?" He asked, turning from the Team.

"I really gotta say, you've got some nice moves. I saw the report." I said.

"What are you getting at?" Kanji asked me.

"Well, it's simple. I challenge you to a duel." I said, putting up my fists. I winked over at Yosuke. He knew exactly what I was planning to do.

"Oh, I get it. You think you can beat me in a fight, can you? You look like a friggin string bean, dude! This'll be quick." Kanji walked towards me with a confident smirk on his face. The way he was walking showed that he wasn't going to take this fight seriously. For someone who can defeat an entire biker gang, he's very predictable.

"Guys, let's go!" Yosuke looked at everyone and darted off. Just what I needed.

"Alright, last chance for getting the hell out of here." Kanji warned.

"No, more like this is yours." I smirked. This would be extremely easy. He's big and muscular, so he's going to be sluggish in battle. I can easily outspeed him. I couldn't fight like I was fighting a Shadow, but I could show him a thing or two about being cocky. Kanji was the one to throw the first punch, as I wanted him to. I quickly ducked underneath him and then punched him in the stomach twice as hard as he had punched the air. He looked stunned by the fact that I managed to counter his attack.

"What's the matter, surprised?" I asked. "That's what you get for underestimating your opponent!"

Kanji growled in frustration and grabbed at me. I pushed his arm to the side and grabbed his other arm. I pulled him towards me and let his face run into my elbow. He fell to the floor immediately.

"Next you're gonna say: "How the hell are you beating me in a fight?""

"How the hell are you beating me in a fight?" Kanji asked. "Wh-What the hell!?"

"How can you predict what I'm saying?"

"How can you predict what I'm saying?"

"Stop that!"

"Stop that!" After that one, Kanji growled again.

I laughed and shrugged. "I guess I can read every one of your moves, Kanji Tatsumi. Which is good because, if you can't see, the guys you were about to beat up are gone."

"You were buying them time, weren't you, you punk!?" Kanji balled a fist and put it in my face.

"Way to talk to your elders, kid." I said. "You know I'm an adult, right?"

"So what? Still makes you a punk." Kanji said.

"You really want to try to fight me again?" I asked. "You know what's going to happen."

"You're an asshole, dude." Kanji said.

"You really shouldn't start getting riled up over little things. They weren't saying anything nasty to you." I said. "Let this be a lesson to you."

"Who are you to go talking about me about lessons?" Kanji asked.

"You don't have to listen to me if you don't want to. I just want you to understand that not everyone is mean and wants to hurt you." I said. It was time to head back to the house.

I took out my phone and sent a text to Yosuke. Me and him had exchanged numbers. Yosuke and I were actually pretty cool with one another. He got me free food at Junes, and we started to talk to each other at the food court.

'I just saved all your asses and beat up Kanji.' I texted him.

'I know, dude. Thanks for the save. I owe you one.' Yosuke responded. I went home for the day.

* * *

"You're lucky that you live with a police officer." Adachi said. "I heard that you got into a fight with Kanji Tatsumi and won. Pretty brave of you, but I did have to get you out of trouble. It took a lot of work to make the cops drop the arrest they were about to put you under."

"Really?" I asked. "Glad you did, then."

"Yeah. It helps having someone who's allied with the police on your side, isn't it?" Adachi asked. I thought of Kurosawa, the man who had sold us weapons two years ago. He was a large help to our cause, and we made sure that he was promoted afterwards. Just a little thanks from Mitsuru.

"Anyway, the Midnight Channel's going to be on tonight. We're all camping out down here to see it." Adachi said.

And so we waited for the Midnight Channel to go on. When it did, everyone huddled close together to witness what was going to be on it.

"I am soooo hot! I'm on fire!" That was all I needed to know that this was going to be a bad one. Kanji Tatsumi was on the screen in only a loincloth.

"Ew." Yukari said.

"You know I've got a smokin' hot body... What should I do with it...? My blood is boiling!" The camera zoomed in on him.

"Goodness gracious just imagine the things that might happen to me in here! Here I goooo!" He ran off like a little girl into the background. It looked like a bathhouse.

"I think I might need to go get my magazines to get rid of this gay I'm feeling." Junpei groaned.

"What in god's name was that?" I asked.

"I think it was Kanji Tatsumi." Akihiko said.

"How are you staying so calm...?" I asked.

"When you've been traveling the world like me, nothing gets too insane for you." Akihiko responded.

"Says the guy who's half-naked." I mumbled.

"What'd you say!?" Akihiko glared at me.

"I'm just joking, Akihiko..." I rolled my eyes.

* * *

"I totally do not want to be here." Yosuke said. We were standing in front of the entrance to the dungeon that had appeared in response to Kanji's getting thrown into the TV. Teddie had told us that the dungeon that appeared is reflected off of the victim's heart. So this was what was in Kanji's mind? A super fabulous sausage fest?

"You and me both, kid." Junpei said.

"Stop calling me kid!" Yosuke snapped.

"What are you gonna do about it, kid?" Junpei and Yosuke got in each others' faces.

"This is just like one of my Japanese animes." Yu said.

"Can we stop goofing off an move in?" Mitsuru asked. "I would like to get out of here as soon as possible. This place is making me uncomfortable as well."

Without any further words, we advanced into the dungeon. I hereby dub it the "Gay Bathhouse." Wood walls, floors, and ceilings littered this place. It was covered in such a heavy steam that even I couldn't see past it. The glasses weren't working, either. This was bad. A Shadow could easily ambush us in a place like this.

"Labrys, can you see clearly in here?" Yukari asked.

"Somewhat. I mean, the fog is messing with my sensors, and my systems are archaic compared to Aigis', but I can still find my way around here. I'll lead you guys." Labrys said. That was right! Labrys wasn't that close to Aigis in production dates. Labrys was made quite a few years ago, while Aigis was made twelve years ago. I think Labrys is at least 20 years older than Aigis. They're two generations apart, and from what Mitsuru said Anti-Shadow Weapon generations are a decade long. So, yeah. Labrys is a dinosaur compared to Aigis.

That didn't mean that she wasn't a big help, though.

"You should run a system update or something. Or maybe we should send you to the lab along with Aigis so you get your processors updated." I suggested. Labrys punched me in the back of my head.

"Oh shut up, you idiot! Although... it isn't that bad of an idea."

"Can we just focus on saving Kanji from his Shadow and get out of here?" Yosuke asked.

"Don't be such a baby, Yosuke..." Chie said.

"Why don't you shut up, Chie!?" Yosuke asked. He then got a swift kick where the sun don't shine.

"Good grief..." I adjusted my glasses.

* * *

We finally found Kanji and his Shadow. Luckily we weren't at the tail end of the Shadow's speech, so we had a chance at calming Kanji down so that he can face himself without any troubles. It looked like his Shadow was having fun, while Kanji on the other hand, was having not so much fun.

"I... I..." Kanji began.

"Oh come on now... enough with the charade. Isn't it awful to deceive people? What's so bad about doing what I want to do?" His Shadow asked.

"Oh god it sounds so gay!" Junpei covered his ears along with Yosuke. They fell onto the floor and started rolling in their own turmoil. Honestly I was about to do the same thing myself. That voice of his was such an ear sore.

"That's got nothing to do with it." Kanji said.

"I'm what you really want aren't I?" Shadow Kanji asked.

"Oh hell no!" Kanji balled a fist at his Shadow. It smiled in response. Was it getting a kick out of this?

"Oh... how I hate girls... they always talk about me behind my backs... never realizing that I'm listening to them. "Oh, you like to sow? What a queer." "Why don't you do anything that's manly...?" So arrogant and self-centered! They cry if you get angry, they talk and gossip behind your backs... And they spread nasty lies too. "You don't act like a guy...?" "Why don't you try to be more manly?" What does it mean to be a "guy"? What does it mean to be "manly"? Girls are so scary... Men are MUCH better. They'd never say those awful degrading things... yes, I vastly prefer men." Shadow Kanji ranted.

"What the hell makes you think you can say that shit with my face!?" Kanji asked.

"No, Kanji!" Fuuka yelled.

"Don't you know that you and I are the same...? Ooh, poor thing..." Shadow Kanji taunted.

"You ain't me, you dumb phoney!" Kanji yelled.

"Ahahaha! You're me, and there's NO denying it!" Shadow Kanji yelled. It started to transform. Yukari ran towards Kanji and grabbed him before he could fall to the ground.

"Dammit... and here I thought that we could be doing this the easy way. Oh well, it's not like I don't prefer the hard way anyway." Shinjiro said, walking forward.

"The Shadows are going BEARserk!" Teddie said. Nice one, Ikutsuki...

I hope Teddie's nothing like that bastard.

"I'm just being true to myself..." His Shadow finished. It was some sort of horrible looking thing with two golden blunt weapons in it's hand. They looked like the symbol for 'male'. It was covered in a flower of roses, and the Shadow itself was wearing some kind of toga. "And that's why, I'll crush anything standing in my way!"

"IT'S JUST REEKING OF GAY, NOW! I WANT OUT!" Junpei screamed.

"I will kick you in the face if you run away, Junpei." Yukari warned. Junpei groaned and faced forward, getting his new weapon of choice, a bat, out.

"This one is going to be ultra easy." I said. "If it's just as predictable as Kanji was in battle, then we'll be done in no time flat."

The Shadow threw one of its weapons at Junpei, who dodged it with an incredibly high jump.

"Trismegistus!" A wave of fire flew over the Shadow, burning some of the roses that surrounded it off. Junpei's Persona appeared and then slashed at the Shadow with it's blade wings. It disappeared as soon as Shadow Kanji tried to swipe at it.

If anything got hit with those arms, then it's a surefire knockout. I would have to be careful when approaching it. Now... what Persona should I use against it? I did have multiple Personas. Thanatos is a good bet for magic using. It didn't seem like there would be any use of the other Personas that I had, so Thanatos it is.

"Ziodyne!" Thanatos opened his coffins and then fired rays of electricity from them. The Shadow laughed and braced itself for impact.

"Ooh... that feels so good on me boy..." It smiled at me.

Okay, so I guess it must have absorbed that attack. I would have to use something else.

A blast of wind hit the Shadow, sending it off balance for a second. I looked over to Yukari. She had her evoker out. She readied her bow and charged it with wind energy. Okay, so it was weak to wind, huh? Another shot was fired at Shadow Kanji, sending him even more off balance. Now was my chance. I jumped up and summoned Thanatos while the Shadow was on the floor. His arms appeared from my back, holding his katana steady. I landed on the roses that were just underneath of the Shadow while the katana plunged itself into his head. Shadow Kanji screamed in pain as it faded back to it's normal state.

"Is it over...?" Yosuke asked.

"What a fight!" Akihiko smiled. "That was a good battle. We should go and check if Kanji's okay."

"Won't anybody... somebody please accept me!?" Kanji's Shadow got up from the ground. IT was still alive and kicking.

"No way!" I exclaimed. "Kanji's still not accepting it!"

"How could he not? He's surrounded by people!" Yukiko said.

"Just stop it..." Kanji got up from the ground. He finally regained his consciousness. "I knew all along that I had something inside like you. It ain't a matter of guys or chicks... I'm just scared shitless of being rejected. I'm a total pansy that tries to make everyone hate me. You're me... and I'm you, dammit."

Kanji's Shadow transformed once again, not into some kind of monster, but into Kanji's Persona.

"When we get out of this place, I'd better get a good, long explanation out of you." Kanji said. "And you, whatever your name is. I want a rematch. You beat some sense into me with that clothesline, but I'm ready to take you head on for real."

"A rematch?" I asked. "Sure thing. But later, okay? There's things that we have to do. Once this whole thing blows over, then I'll give you that rematch you want."

"Let's get out of this place. It's givin me the creeps." Kanji said.

"Agreed." Yosuke and Junpei said at the same time.

* * *

Kanji had went home early after we got him out of the TV. He was tired from accepting his Shadow. I'm glad that we found him as soon as we could, or else I don't know what might have happened. I couldn't help but think that I had helped Kanji accept himself for who he was. I had put a lesson into that punch I gave him. A lesson that I learned myself thanks to Aigis.

Don't hate people just because you're scared of interaction. That will get you nowhere in life.

Labrys had joined me in my room until Aigis got back. I knew that she was going to serenely skedaddle on out of here when Aigis got back, because even Labrys is afraid of her anger. She would be ultra pissed when she found out that Labrys had occupied her space in bed.

I closed my eyes and started drifting off to sleep.


	30. Return

"Did you hear about Rise Kujikawa?" Yosuke asked me. I sat down at the table at the food court with him. The two of us bought some drinks and some steak and sat down for a good talk.

"I'm from the city." I reminded him.

"Have you ever heard that song "True Story"?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah." I said. "Hate it. Rather listen to stuff like Burn My Dread. You ever hear that?"

"You don't like Rise, huh? Well, she's moving into town soon. Everyone's going to go and flood the shop that her grandmother works at because that's where she's staying." Yosuke explained. "And let me hear this song that's better than Rise."

"Sure thing, dude. Prepare to be blown away." I smirked. I handed him my headphones and he put them on. As soon as they were on, I started playing the song.

"HOLY SHIT!" Yosuke yelled. "This is amazing!"

"I told you it blows Rise out of the water." My smirk grew wider.

"I don't doubt you. You're like, my music sensei." Yosuke said.

"We're just two guys who really, really like music. Oh, and we have robots that are crushing on us."

"Wait what!?" Yosuke did a double take. "I mean, I know that your really, really cute girlfriend, if you don't mine me saying, Aigis is a robot, but the other robot is Labrys, right? Oh God..."

"What?" I asked.

"You said that Labrys has a crush on me? I have a crush on her! How am I going to get my point across to her!?" Yosuke started freaking out.

"Get your head straight, first of all. Wait for the girl to make the move so you don't look desperate. Trust me. I'm like, the king of getting girls." I said.

"Oh, really now?" Yosuke asked. "Then get those girls over there." He pointed to two girls at a table.

"Easy as pie." I walked up to the girls and prepared my A game. Time to bust out the moves that I used during Operation Babe Hunt, that total failure of a mission.

"What are you doing here? We're trying to enjoy some lunch here." One of the girls said.

"Well, ladies... I couldn't help but notice your beauty. I was wondering... could I get your number?" I flipped my hair back. The ladies moaned in excitement as they quickly wrote their numbers on a piece of paper. I triumphantly walked back to the table that me and Yosuke had sat.

"Dude... how the hell...?" Yosuke asked.

"Orpheus." I held up the paper. It burned in my hands.

"Duude! What are you doing!?" Yosuke yelled.

"My heart belongs to another." I explained. "Besides, the last time I got a girl's number that wasn't hers she tried to burn me with a flamethrower."

"Talk about commitment..." Yosuke said. "But anyway, yeah. Rise Kujikawa is going to come to Inaba in a few weeks, so get ready for it. Hey... can you give me some advice for dating a robot...?"

"Well, Aigis has this kind of "mode" thing. Outside of combat, she's a very convincing human girl. Actually, if she didn't have processors, she'd be a human. Inside of combat is when her real form comes out. Labrys is 100% pure metal, so I guess my only advice is this: Practice safety first."

"Safety first...?" Yosuke looked confused.

"Yes. Safety first. I know that Labrys is pretty damn sexy, but you know that you shouldn't do anything with her that involves... you know." I said. "Practice. Safety. First."

"Okay, I got it." Yosuke said.

"Who're ya talkin about?" I felt a cold hand get placed on my shoulder heavily. It was made of pure titanium.

"Oh, L-L-Labrys-san!" Yosuke stuttered.

"Hi, Yosuke-kun! So... was Mina-chan over here telling you about how you need to practice safety around me?" Labrys asked. Her hand was pressing me down. I couldn't even move. Labrys was pretty strong...

"Labrys, get your damned hand off me!" I yelled.

"Weeeell... if you say please, then maybe!" Labrys smiled at me.

"Please... you little bitch." I growled.

"Aww! That just means you love me!" That was Labrys's response for every time I swore at her.

"You guys are really going to drive me up a wall today, aren't you?" Yosuke asked as he was chuckling.

"I guess we are." Labrys said. "Oh, and did you hear about Rise? She's coming to town soon!"

"Yeah, Yosuke here told me about that. Catch up to the times, you slowpoke." I said.

"Catch up to the times, you slowpoke." Labrys echoed, using a mock deep voice. Yosuke burst out laughing, while I just glared at her. She stuck her tongue out at me and smiled. I shook my head.

* * *

"So then, all this gossip around town about this Rise Kujikawa teen idol coming to town is going all over the place. Which leads me to a theory that I have. I believe that whoever shows up on the Midnight Channel only shows up because people have talked about them, and the fact that they show up on TV at one point or another. Think about it. Amagi had a TV report, Tatsumi had a TV report, and all the others had appearances on the television as well." Mitsuru said.

"So you're saying that whenever there's someone on the television, they're going to be shown on the Midnight Channel?" Shinjiro asked.

"Yes, of course." Mitsuru nodded. "So... all we can do now is wait for someone to show up on the television and then we can see if they appear on the Midnight Channel."

"You ever notice how everyone oh-so-conveniently appears on TV the day before it rains? We can narrow down our searches even further if we take that into account. We'll need to keep a constant check on the weather system and then decide on what to do from there." I said.

"Great idea, Minato." Akihiko nodded at me. "They said it's not going to be raining for a while, so we have to find some things to keep us occupied until then."

"Only problem is... with such a boring place like Inaba, there's really nothing TO do. No chicks to meet... no arcades... the only thing here is that damned Junes store and that Aiya place." Junpei sighed.

"What do you mean "chicks to meet"?" Yukari asked menacingly.

"Anyway, once the weather forecast says that it's going to rain, we should start checking out the TV." Shinjiro said.

"Hey, the other day I saw something really weird." Adachi spoke up. "Does anyone know if there's such a thing as a butterfly that's all black? Like, no other color than black?"

"No, not that I've heard of, no. I haven't heard of such thing as a black butterfly. Maybe it's a rare breed?" Fuuka asked.

"I dunno... but I was unnerved at the mere sight of it. Maybe I'm just getting a little anxious with the case and all. Never mind." Adachi shrugged.

Haven't I seen a black butterfly before? I know that it wasn't noticeable to the others, but while Shadow Aigis was bringing us up to the top of Tartarus, I had noticed a black butterfly on her shoulders. That same butterfly was with Ikutsuki while he was getting away. What did that mean? And now that we're just seeing it now unnerves me, too. It's probably not the best idea to tell them about it, so I'll keep quiet about it. Before I could get up to go to my bed, a wave of nausea came over me. I fell to the ground and clasped at my head.

"Minato-kun!" Labrys yelled. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah... I'm fine... it's just... something's on my mind, that's all. I'll be fine. I have to go to bed." I said.

Why was a butterfly making me so nauseous? Just what was that black butterfly?

* * *

"You don't look yourself today, Minato-san. Is everything alright?" Yu asked. I was walking down the shopping district with him because we both were heading over to Junes.

"I'm fine... I'm just a little nervous about something, that's all." I said. That black butterfly was still bothering me. I wanted to know what it meant. Why was it attracted to Aigis's Shadow and Ikutsuki? It's just a butterfly, right? There's nothing that it can do to harm us.

"Is it the case?" Yu asked. "I have to say, I'm a little nervous myself. My little cousin, Nanako, keeps on asking me to tuck her in at night and things like that. She's really scared, but at least I'm glad that I'm there to protect her. My uncle Dojima-san doesn't get home until very late because of his job. He works at the Inaba Police Station. I think he's partnered up with that Adachi fellow that you guys work with."

"Yeah, I remember hearing Adachi complain about a "Dojima" before." I looked over to the tofu shop. That was where Rise was supposed to be staying from now on when she moved to Inaba. I want to keep a good watch over it to make sure that we can catch the killer before he gets her.

"Minato-san, can I ask you something? This might have to do with the power that we both share. You know, the power to use multiple Personas? Well, the other day while I was sitting down at Junes, I saw a black butterfly flying around the electronics store. It was paying extra close attention to the television. And I recall that it was circling around above Labrys's head yesterday while you were talking with her and Yosuke as well. Do you know what this means?" Yu asked.

That wave of nausea overtook me once again. I darted into the nearest alleyway and lurched over. What was making me do that at the mention of that black butterfly? Why was I getting so sick at the drop of it's name? Yu watched me as I started to retch.

"Minato-san!" He ran to me.

"No! Stay back!" I held up a hand to stop him from getting any closer. I didn't want to throw up on him. I felt everything in my stomach come up and out of my mouth. I tried to hold it all in, but I just couldn't find the strength. I couldn't think of anything else. What was going on with me? Why was I reacting so violently to this thing?

"Minato-san, you need to get home and fast!" Yu said. "I'll take you there!"

"Alright... I'll tell you where it is..." I said. After giving him directions, Yu took me home and helped me into my bed to rest.

As soon as my body touched the bed, I went to sleep.

* * *

"Welcome... to the Velvet Room." I heard the voice of Igor. I opened my eyes to take a look at my surroundings. It was no longer the elevator that was originally the Velvet Room before. Now it had the appearance of a very expensive limousine.

"Igor..." I started. "Can you tell me what's going on with me? I've been hearing about this black butterfly, and every time someone mentions it, I start getting sick to my stomach. This time it got so bad I started throwing up in an alleyway."

"A black butterfly, you say?" Igor asked. "This... are you sure that you saw a black butterfly?" He put extra emphasis on the word "black".

"Yes." I nodded.

"Elizabeth... Margaret... do you believe that he's finally came back?" Igor asked, looking to Elizabeth and some other girl. They were sitting down next to him.

"If he said a black butterfly then it must be true." Elizabeth said.

"What horror..." Margaret said.

"Okay, I'm getting legitimately scared here. Can you explain to me what this black butterfly is?" I asked.

"That butterfly is the Crawling Chaos. I fear that at your current level of power, even with Aigis, you will not be able to defeat him." Igor said.

"The Crawling Chaos...?" I asked.

"Even I don't know much about him myself... all I know is that he is evil incarnate." Igor said. "If you see a black butterfly, run away."

"Run away!?" I asked.

"Yes. Run away. You cannot defeat the Crawling Chaos as you stand. You need to become more powerful." Igor said. "And as you know already, there is nothing more that I can do for you."

"So then why was I called here?" I asked.

"You were not called here. You came here of your own accord, subconsciously. You thought that you would get answers from me about this butterfly." Igor said.

"What do I do?" I asked.

"The only thing that you can do is sit and wait for it to make it's move." Igor said. "Now, if you don't mind... another guest is entering. You have to leave now."

"Okay." I nodded.

* * *

"...nato, wake up! Minato, wake up, please! Come on, Minato!" I opened my eyes to see Labrys standing over me.

"L-Labrys...? How long have I been out?" I asked.

"For three weeks! We were right, Rise was shown on the Midnight Channel! We have to go in there now and get her out of there before her Shadow kills her!" Labrys said.

"Yeah... let's go." I nodded. I quickly got my things ready and headed out with Labrys.

We entered the TV and Fuuka had quickly located Rise. My mind wasn't on the task at hand, however. I thought more about that "Crawling Chaos" thing that Igor told me about as we walked through the dungeon that appeared out of Rise's heart. It was a really big strip club, in lack of a better term for it. Pink was everywhere. Pink walls, floors, everything. Sometimes when we walked into a big room there was a pole that was ready for sexual acts that you would only see when going to these kinds of places.

Just what was this Crawling Chaos thing and why was it around in Inaba now? Igor and the other two were talking about it like it was some sort of evil god or something. Igor had talked about Nyx as being undefeatable, yet he had remained calm about it. Now, with this "Crawling Chaos", he was actually afraid. That thing meant serious business, whatever it was. I would have to take Igor's advice and avoid it at all costs.

We had finally reached Rise's Shadow after what felt like hours of walking. I absolutely loved how unlike Tartarus, all you had to do for these dungeons was basically walk in a straight line and turn to the left a little bit.

The girl and her Shadow were at the top of what looked like a sort of stage area. The Shadow was in a yellow bikini, smiling at us as we walked in.

"Look! Everyone's here now! All eyes are on me now!" The Shadow exclaimed excitedly.

"No... stop it!" Rise yelled. Already she was going to start denying it? At least let us catch our breath before we go and fight the Shadow!

"Aww... what's the matter, you wanna show your stuff, don't you? How's this?" The Shadow grabbed onto the pole and started doing a pole dance. It wasn't like the ones that you would get from the professionals, though. This one was absolutely horribly done. If I was a customer, I'd want my money back.

"Please, stop!" Rise yelled again, shaking her head.

"You want me to stop!? That's funny! As if that's even close to what you're thinking, you little skank!" The Shadow yelled. "You're me, and obviously I'm you."

"That's... not true!" Rise yelled again. Now that I got a good look at the girl, she was actually not that bad looking. If I wasn't nearly five years older than her and I wasn't dating Aigis, I'd ask her out. Then again, this was hardly the thing that I should be focusing on.

"This is me! This is who I really am! Risette? Who the hell is that!? I'm sick of being some airhead cliche who chokes everything down with a smile!" The Shadow yelled. "I'm no one but myself! Come on, look at me!"

"That's not... I... You're... you're not me!" Rise yelled. The Shadow laughed, and her pole dancing intensified.

Once again, can I get my money back?

"I'm finally myself now!" Shadow Rise yelled, transforming into the most disgusting thing that I've ever seen. It looked like a human girl with a hexagon for a face. It looked like a budding flower. The rest of the body was some sort of rainbowy color that just made me want to puke. Every time it moved it made some sort of squelchy noise.

"I am a Shadow, the true self!" Shadow Rise said. "I've got all of you scanned... I know your weaknesses."

"Wait... does this Shadow have the same ability as Fuuka?" Adachi asked.

"I... I can't read it! It's interfering with Juno!" Fuuka announced, trying her best to analyze the Shadow.

"Hahahaha! Now you're all going to die!" Shadow Rise screamed as rays of energy flew out of her.

"Is that thing getting off on this?" Junpei asked. "This is a load of shit..."

I fell to the ground, weakened by the rays of light. I looked around. Everyone else was on the floor as well. The Shadow started to charge up for the attack once again.

"Oh no... if another one hits us... then we're toast..." Akihiko said.

"Shit." Shinjiro swore.

"We came so far... how are we going to lose to this...?" Yosuke asked.

"Now then, it's time to finally be rid of you al-" The Shadow paused and started screaming. This time, it was in pain. Explosions littered it's body.

"What the hell!?" Kanji yelled. He had tagged along with us, too.

"Hey, you big ugly creep!" My eyes widened.

"Aigis!" I yelled. She walked into the room, with her missile launchers stationed on her shoulders. Along with her she carried a look of anger on her face. I was elated. Aigis was finally back. She was finally fully repaired.

At least I had slept through some of the time that I had to wait for her to get better.

"Stay away from my friends!" Aigis warned. "Or else you're gonna get hurt! Badly!"


	31. The Crawling Chaos

"Who the hell are you, bitch?" Shadow Rise asked.

"Whoa..." Kanji said.

"I'm your worst nightmare, Shadow!" Aigis said. "You know... I've always wanted a one liner..."

"It doesn't matter what you do, you won't defeat me!" Shadow Rise yelled.

"Wanna see me do it?" Aigis asked. She disappeared from my line of vision and reappeared behind Shadow Rise. The Shadow had a look of intense pain on it's face. "There. Defeated." The Shadow returned to it's normal theme.

Rise looked up at her Shadow. "This... this is me...?"

"Yeah." Aigis nodded. I was still stunned at how fast she defeated that Shadow. We couldn't even land a hit on that thing, but Aigis just came in and absolutely wrecked it. Just what did they do to her at the lab while they were repairing her? Rise got up and helped her Shadow up.

"Here... stand up. I'm sorry. You must have been in a lot of pain up until now. You're part of me, but I kept refusing the fact that you existed. I was trying to figure out who the real me was. But I realize now that I was on the wrong track. There is no "real" me. It doesn't exist.

"There... is no real me?" I struggled to my feet and looked back at Teddie. He was the one who asked that question. There was a look of pure confusion on his face. What was he thinking about? I had noticed that there was something on his mind on the way up here as well. Was he having some sort of existential crisis like Labrys had?

"You... me... Risette... they were all born from me. All of them are me." Rise said. Her Shadow transformed into the Persona that she would wield. I supposed that she was going to be joining us? Just by looking at her I couldn't stand her. She looked like she thought that she owned everything. Star-hood does that to you, I guess. I could only tell that she was going to be acting like a whiny bitch.

Great. What a wonderful addition to the team. I could take Kanji, but this chick was just out of her mind. Rise fell to the floor, and Yu rushed to her side to prevent her from hitting it entirely.

"Are you okay?" Yu asked.

"You're the person who came to me at the store, right? I'm alright. Thank you guys." Rise said. She turned her head to Aigis. "Especially you! If you hadn't shown up, I fear that everyone could have died..."

"Do not worry about it too much..." Aigis smiled warmly.

"There's... no real me...!" Teddie said. He seemed devastated by what Rise said. I knew it. He was going through an existential crisis... I almost screamed when I saw a certain guest flying around the room. That goddamned black butterfly. Or, should I call it the Crawling Chaos?

"Oh no...! I sense a Shadow coming from Teddie! But that's odd... I thought that-" Fuuka started.

"Shh! Here it comes!" Mitsuru warned. A separate Teddie came from within the original bear Shadow thing. Whatever it was.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Yosuke asked.

"It feels like a Shadow, but there's some sort of interference..." Fuuka said. "What kind of horrible presence is this...?"

"The truth is unattainable. Forever will it be enshrouded in the bewildering fog... Though you reach through the murk and the gloom for something, how do you know that it is the truth? If this is the case, then why do you seek the truth? Close your weary eyes. Delude yourself. Live in blissful ignorance. It is a much better way to exist." This Shadow felt horrible... but... I couldn't help but to be drawn to it. It's voice... soothed me. I felt myself relax while I listened to it.

This is truly a terrifying thing... Is this what the Crawling Chaos is? Is it using some of it's power to influence the Shadow that's appeared before us? I started shivering in fear of what it might do. That butterfly made me sick to my stomach...

"What the heck are you talking about!? You're making this beary difficult to understand because I'm not that smart, aren't you!?" Teddie yelled. Did he understand what this was?

"It is those efforts that I am calling meaningless. You are hollow. Empty. At your core, you know this. You just cannot accept this. So you seek an alternate form... a denial of your nature. You have no lost memories. If you have forgotten anything, it is the truth." Teddie's Shadow said.

"That's a lie!" Teddie yelled.

"Shall I spell it out for you? You are a mere-" Shadow Teddie was interrupted by Teddie trying to attack it, but it didn't work out too well. Teddie bounced off of the Shadow.

"It is the same for you all. You undergo suffering because of your search for the truth. This world is shrouded in thick, heavy fog. How can you search for something when you have no inkling of what it is?" Shadow Teddie asked.

"The truth... has to exist." Yu said shakily.

"Then let me tell you a secret. It is simple to find the truth. All you have to do is believe it is the truth. I will grant you one truth. You shall all die here." Shadow Teddie said. The Shadow transformed into a horrible looking, decaying version of Teddie.

"I shall give to you the truth that you hold so dear. The undeniable fact... of your end here." Shadow Teddie said.

"What a thing to come back to!" Aigis commented.

"You're telling me." I responded. "Think of this as the welcome back party."

"I think my Persona has the same ability that your blue haired friend has. We'll both support you!" Rise informed.

"I think you can forget about using Bufu on it." Fuuka said.

"Yeah. Mudo and Hama won't work on it either, so that's out of the question." Rise also informed. Teddie's Shadow rose its fist up into the air and started to charge up for an attack. It had a horrible aura about it, too. This whole thing unnerved me. Was this really Teddie's Shadow? Or was it the Crawling Chaos itself coming to do battle with us?

"Minato, is something wrong with you? You're getting a little bit paranoid all of a sudden. Don't worry, we can defeat him." Aigis said.

"He's been like this ever since Adachi mentioned something about a black butterfly." Labrys said.

"Maybe it means something for him. Whatever the case... we can't just sit by and let that Shadow tell us that our lives are meaningless!" Junpei said, running towards it and hitting it with his baseball bat. I finally snapped out of my trance and summoned Thanatos. I made sure that it hit the Shadow head on, in the eyeball. It roared in pain and covered it's eye with one of it's clawed hands.

"Nice shot, dude!" Junpei encouraged. Jiraiya appeared out of Yosuke and kicked the Shadow. Then it used its shurikens and threw them into that orb that was in Shadow Teddie's hand.

"Everyone, it's going to attack! Watch out!" Rise yelled.

"Fall back!" I ordered, still being the leader and all. Everyone jumped back to avoid the Shadow swiping its hand across the floor. I could tell. If we hadn't avoided that attack, it would have killed us.

Artemisia's whip flew across the room and struck the Shadow in the eye yet again. It seemed like it always responded in pain after getting hit in the eye. Akihiko rushed in and started throwing a flurry of punches at the Shadow, and to top it all off, Labrys threw her axe at it with relatively no trouble at all. That was what always amazed me about Anti-Shadow weapons. They don't look strong at all. Aigis, if you didn't know that she was really a robot, looks very frail. But she beat Akihiko in arm wrestling.

No one does that. It's impossible.

The Shadow faded back into it's "normal" look. Teddie walked up to it.

"Yeah, maybe I don't know the truth... and yeah, maybe it is useless to look for it. But that doesn't mean that I'll stop trying to look for the truth. It'll be a fun experience with those guys along with me. They'll help me find out who I am. Just you wait and see." Teddie said. His Shadow transformed into a Persona as well.

"Rise!" Chie yelled. I looked over to see Rise fall to the floor.

"That's right... she hasn't had her Persona long and she was just using it a second ago." Labrys said. "Maybe we should get her out of here, along with Teddie."

"Good idea. Besides, I've gotten a little tired from all this fighting..." Shinjiro said. As we were about to exit the TV, Teddie stopped me and Yu.

"Is there anything that you need, Teddie?" Yu asked.

"Senseis... I'm going to do my best from here on out. I'll get strong so that the next time that you see me I won't be weak and helpless!" Teddie said. I looked at his eyes. They were burning with resolve that would even impress Mitsuru. I smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up.

"I believe in you, then. Do your best, Teddie." Yu said.

"I will, Sensei!" Teddie smiled. He dropped to the floor and started doing sit-ups. He looked so serious while he was doing them. It was admirable, really.

"Until next time, Teddie." I said.

* * *

"So, you're back." I said. Aigis and I were sitting down in our room.

"This bed smells like oil, grease, and fuel." Aigis said. "There are also traces of silver hair on my side of the bed."

"Whoa, you're getting a little attentive, aren't you?" I asked.

"Who was in this bed?" Aigis asked.

"Labrys. She insisted." I said.

"Phew... and here I thought that you were trying to burn the bed and were using Labrys's hair to start the fire!" Aigis smiled at me innocently.

"Did you... did you hit your head on the way back?" I asked.

"Can't I mess with you a little bit?" Aigis frowned. "Anyway, let's get to bed. You should tell me about that black butterfly tomorrow. Labrys said that you got anxious whenever it was around."

"Yeah. I think we all need to talk about that thing tomorrow. At least we saved Rise, though."

"You're right." Aigis said. She turned the lights off and we both went to sleep.

* * *

"Wake up you idiot! I thought you were going to talk to everyone about the black butterfly!" I heard Aigis's voice yell. I opened my eyes. Aigis was directly on top of me, staring at me with a smile. The thing was... that wasn't Aigis. She never talked to me like that. Then I realized it's eye color.

Yellow. Like a Shadow's.

"AIGIS!" I immediately screamed for her to come up here.

"Calm the hell down! They sent me up here to get you to come down so I can tell you all about the black butterfly!" 'Aigis' said.

"You're supposed to be inside of Aigis!" I said. "What are you doing on the outside!?"

"Sheesh... I went through all this trouble and this is what I experience? Damn..." Shadow Aigis said. "But anyway, you're coming with me whether you like it or not." She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me downstairs.

Everyone was sitting down at the table in the living room, waiting for me and Aigis's Shadow to come downstairs.

"Can you explain what she's doing in the outside world?" I asked Aigis.

"I don't know. Maybe it's got something to do with what's going on now with that black butterfly." Aigis said.

"You don't need to keep on calling it "the black butterfly" you know. He does have a name. Trust me, I served under his sorry ass two years ago." Shadow Aigis said. "His name... well, he's got many. But the one that's most common to call him by... is Nyarlathotep."

"Can you explain to us what this "Nyarlathotep" is?" Mitsuru asked.

"There's nothing really to explain, you know? I don't know much about him myself. Only that he caused the entire world to get reset once. Some kind of alternate timeline shit with Philemon involved or something. I don't care." Shadow Aigis said. "But... I can guess that he's trying to prove that humanity can't really exist without killing each other. I agree with him, but the little asshole's cheating on his bet with Philemon to get what he wants. If Philemon wins, Nyarlathotep goes away forever. If Nyarly wins, then the world gets destroyed. That's basically it, you know?"

"There's not really much to go by here..." Shinjiro said. "But if he's represented by that butterfly, shouldn't we find it and kill it?"

"It's not that easy. Nyarlathotep's a GOD. You know, an actual GOD. I doubt you can touch him like that. He's a cocky little bastard, though, so I'm sure that he'll show up in a tangible form sooner or later. He's always waiting for the right moment." Shadow Aigis said.

"Well, what big help that was..." Junpei sighed. "What do we do now? Just wait for this Nyarlathotep guy to come after us or something?"

"Yeah." Shadow Aigis said.

"Tell me how you got out." I said.

"You're still on that!? Alright, fine... Well, Shadows and Personas are one in the same. You... DO know that, right?" Shadow Aigis said.

"WHAT!?" Everyone stood up.

"Looks like you don't. You've been fighting them this whole time and you haven't found that out yet? How do you think you were hitting them!? How do you think your Persona's evolved? How do you think those little shit eaters got their Personas? Idiots... all of you. Anyway your Personas evolved because they weren't in their true form yet. Your Shadows, when they accepted them, evolved your Personas into their true forms. Aigis's Personas were all in their true form, so... with nothing better to do and no Personas to power up, I sat in the Sea of Souls bored out of my mind. So... I decided to come out and witness the world that my other half saved. So... here I am." Shadow Aigis explained.

"So how did you get out?" Shinjiro asked.

"Think a little bit once in a while. But... since I'm so nice, I'll just tell you. Basically, I came out like a Persona. You know how Takaya and all of them had their Personas come out momentarily without them knowing it? That was me. I did the same thing. You see, you're in control of your Personas, so they don't come out. Aigis has literally NO control over me, so I came out without her even knowing." Shadow Aigis said.

"I see..." Mitsuru said.

"This is going to be so weird." Junpei said. "How do we differentiate? And how do we know which one we're talking to? It's like twins... but harder. One's sweet, the other is not so sweet."

"Who said she's staying here?" I asked. "She tried to kill us!"

"Who cares? Am I trying to do it now?" Shadow Aigis asked.

"You have a point... alright fine. But you need to do something about your looks. You and Aigis look exactly the same." I said.

"I know I know. I'll transform like those Shadows that you're fighting now. They're really weak, you know? They don't know it's better to just stay like this and fight. Much more quick. Big doesn't equal good." Shadow Aigis smirked.

"Just change yourself and get this over with." Akihiko said.

"Fine, geez." Shadow Aigis said. She ran into my room and shut the door. Moments later, she came back down.

"So... what do you think? Am I cute, Mina-chan?" She asked. Well... how could I say no? That IS Aigis's Shadow, after all. And she looked exactly the part. She was wearing some kind of headband that was like Aigis's, but was red. She had the same pale skin as Aigis, but had short black hair. Her eyes, instead of yellow, were red. Her mechanical torso was completely black, unlike Aigis's white. She had some kind of mechanical skirt on, too.

"It's alright if you say I am. After all, I'm your girlfriend!" She said.

"I'll give you that one thing." Aigis said.

"You're... pretty cute." I said.

"I knew you'd like it!" She hugged me. I think since Aigis was attached to me, Shadow Aigis was going to be even more attached to me. Aren't a Shadow's feelings just the original's amplified?

"We need to solve the name problem, too." Shinjiro said. "I'm not saying Shadow Aigis all the time."

"Shaigis!" Labrys's face brightened.

"No." Shadow Aigis said.

"I have an idea. How about Metis?" Aigis asked.

"You did that on purpose because of Athena being your Persona." Shadow Aigis said. "But I'll roll with it."

"Now... which room does she go in?" I asked.

"Yours!" She latched onto me again.

"I guess it's settled, then. We should introduce Shadow Ai- I mean Metis- to the others tomorrow." Mitsuru said.

"Wait a second. You visited me during the Dark Hour didn't you?" Aigis asked.

"Duh. Of course I did! I wanted to make sure you killed those big Shadows." Sha- I mean Metis- said.

"Devious..." Aigis commented.

* * *

"Who is this?" Chie asked. "She's pretty mean looking."

"She is mean." I said.

"Come on, that's no way to talk to your girlfriend!" Metis said, shaking me back and forth.

"I thought..." Yosuke began.

"That... is my Shadow." Aigis said.

"Wh-What!?" Yu asked.

"Yep. I'm her Shadow. Don't call me Shadow Aigis or I'll rip your lungs out. My name is Metis." Metis said.

"Wow." Kanji said. "Just... wow."

"You wouldn't expect that thing to come out of Aigis-san." Yosuke said.

"Hidden emotions, Yosuke." Metis said.

"So... he's technically got two girlfriends now, huh? Lucky bastard." I heard Yosuke whisper.

"So... summer break is coming up." Chie said. "Maybe we can all go to the beach sometime if we all get motorcycle licenses."

"Well, you know how I'm going to be going to the beach." I smirked.

"Oh enough about your stupid car!" Yosuke yelled.

"You know that you're jealous!" I returned. "You wish you could drive!"

"I do, and that's why I want you to stop talking about that!" Yosuke said.

I could just imagine it now. I would drive up in my car and then step out with sunglasses on. Aigis and Metis would be wearing them too. When we all got out, we would throw them to the left, and I'd walk up to join everyone with Aigis at one shoulder and Metis at the other.

God... that's the best way to go to the beach. Especially in the most badass car ever made.

"By the look on your face, you're thinking of something perverted again." Aigis said with an annoying look on her face.

"Who cares? I don't mind... tell me what you're thinking about, Mina-chan." Metis said.

"Oh, I'm just thinking about how I'll make my entrance if we go to the best. You on one shoulder, Aigis on the other... At all times..." I said.

"That's not fair! You have TWO GIRLFRIENDS!" Junpei yelled.

"Cry about it!" Metis exclaimed.

"You know what... I think that's what I'm gonna do. Come on Yosuke..." Junpei got up along with Yosuke and the two walked off with their heads hung low. Yukari had giggled at their remorse.

"So Metis here is going to be part of the Investigation Team now?" Yu asked.

"Yeah." Adachi said. "She's going to be a powerful asset, considering that she was the last person that they fought two years ago."

"Yeah. Almost got em, too." Metis said.

"Stop talking like it was a game." Aigis said. "That was life or death."

"I know, I know. But you guys lived through it right? No more Dark Hour and shit like that." Metis said.

"So it's decided then, right? We're all going to go to the beach as soon as summer vacation hits." Yosuke said, returning back with Junpei.

"What did you two even do?" Akihiko asked.

"We hugged each other and cried." Junpei said.

"Yeah, let's go to the beach this summer." I said, changing the topic.

And so it was decided. I would roll up to the beach like the badass I am and have both Aigis and Metis fawning over me the entire time at the beach. And if everything went right, I'd get to pull off a wardrobe malfunction. I almost got Aigis the one time we were at the hot springs two years ago. Now's my chance to get both her and her Shadow.

Although... knowing her Shadow she'd be the one taking off her bathing suit for me.

I need to stop thinking about this. Hopefully this beach trip would get my mind off of this "Nyarlathotep" guy.


	32. Beach Trip Number 2

Everyone was going around getting their motorcycle licenses while I was sitting here surrounded by two babes. Life couldn't get any better. When the Shadow of your girlfriend is about as attached to you as your girlfriend is, and she's not trying to kill you anymore, it's a good thing.

"Why aren't we getting motorcycles, again?" Metis asked.

"Because Minato's taking us in his car. At least, that's what he's thinking about doing." Aigis responded.

"So we're just sitting here with literally nothing to do. Meanwhile Nyarlathotep's probably plotting some kind of scheme in the background." Metis said.

"Well aren't you just a bundle of sunshine? You said it yourself. He's not going to do anything until he's got a big plan on his hands. And if he's going to do something, then we'll stop it like we always do." Aigis said.

"But Shad- I mean Metis- said that we really can't do anything to him now. So we have no choice but to sit around here and do nothing." I said.

"Can't you at least train and get better so you can fight him when the time comes? I mean, I'm all for sitting here with you, but come on!" Metis said.

Junpei and the other members of the Shadow Operatives walked into the house with a triumphant smile plastered on all their faces.

"Guess who's got his motorcycle license?" Junpei asked. "This guy!"

"Good for you guys." I said. "I've been thinking about what Metis said yesterday."

"About Nyarlathotep?" Mitsuru asked. "Get your mind off of it. We're supposed to be going to the beach soon, and we should clear our mind of everything before we go."

"No, I really think I should get this out." I said. "I think we should split the team up in two. Those kids go and save the people in the TV while we go and find more leads on Nyarlathotep and try to find out what he's planning and defeat him."

"That's quite a rational idea. After all, the kids are the ones who are really intent on solving this case." Mitsuru said. "I suppose that a split is in order. Very well. From now on, the Shadow Operatives are going to investigate Nyarlathotep and what he's planning!"

"But still. You need to chill, Minato-kun. The beach trip is coming up soon and we should get our minds off of Nyarlathotep. Kinda like what we did on Christmas with Nyx." Yukari said.

"You do have a point..." I said. "But this is still a problem that we can't get rid of so easily. Alright... after the beach trip we're going to do our best to find and beat this Nyarlathotep guy!" Just before we all got comfy, the phone started ringing. Metis quickly got up and answered it.

"Who's this?" She asked. Metis was definitely one for the phone... "You're shitting me. You're telling me the truth!? How can something as empty as that become some kind of person? That's just not normal! Alright... I'll get everyone over to Junes now."

"Who was it?" Shinjiro asked.

"It was that Yu kid. He said that the bear that follows you guys around just grew a human body out of nowhere. Teddie said that he wanted his "second sensei" to see his new body." Metis said. "Do you think that he's gay for you, Minato?"

"WHAT!?" I stood up. What the hell does that mean!? Where did she even get that implication!?

"Haha! I'm just kidding around with you, Mina-chan. He obviously looks up to you, so I guess it would make his day if you went to go see him. Let's all go." Metis said.

* * *

We quickly found the Investigation Team in front of the shrine. There was a young looking blonde boy with blue eyes standing there, too. He had some fancy looking clothes on. Chie had an angry look on her face while Yosuke was looking devastated.

"Who's the kid?" I asked, pointing to the boy that was standing with everyone. Rise was also there. She was attaching herself to Yu, like some kind of parasite. I could tell by the way that she was looking at him that she had fallen in love with him. It's fine by me. Not like I cared about what those kids were doing.

"Sensei you're so cruel!" I put a forced smile on my face. Teddie was that boy.

"Teddie!?" Aigis asked. "Is that you?"

"Yeah! I grew a body so that I could join you guys outside here and help you guys find out information about the case!" Teddie said.

"You... grew a body?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "That's... insane."

"I know. I said the same myself." Yu said. "The look on your face says that you have something to tell us. Say it."

"Well, aren't you a little pushy today? Well, I was thinking about splitting the team up into two divisions. One to save the Midnight Channel victims, and one to find the killer himself." I said.

"That's a good idea. We'll go and save the Midnight Channel victims while you guys go find the killer. We're limited by school, so I think that's the best choice." Yosuke said.

"Alright. Well, is that all?" I asked. "We have to get ready for the beach trip."

"That's right! We're all going!" Chie exclaimed. Her voice... it kind of annoyed me.

"Wait, who are you?" Teddie walked to Metis and started sniffing around her. "You don't smell like anyone that I know."

"I'm Aigis's Shadow." Metis said. "Can you please... stop?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Teddie backed away. "Nice to meet you, Ai-chan's Shadow!"

"Please... just call me Metis." Metis said.

"So Me-chan it is!" Teddie smiled. Metis scowled, but didn't say anything else. I could tell that she was getting annoyed by him. Trust me, I would have punched him in the face by now. We spend the rest of the day talking with each other and getting to know each other more. Metis had wanted no part of it either. I knew that it was going to be hard for her to get used to talking to others and befriending them. She had wanted no part of it two years ago, and she wouldn't want any part of it now. But strangely enough, I could feel myself social linking with her, just as I had done with everyone else.

Her Social Link arcana was Death. Fitting. At least the more I talked to her, the more Thanatos would power up for his battles. Social links are the main source of my power. Metis was rolling her eyes at everything that the others said that were supposed to be jokes. I myself was caught laughing at some of them, but Metis was not amused at all.

Yu had talked about things like his uncle and cousin, and how he had taken quite a few part-time jobs to afford money that he could use for that old man to make them weapons. However, I didn't need to have the help of that guy, considering I had made each of the Shadow Operatives their "Ultimate" weapons through fusion.

From the space in between Yosuke and Yu, I saw a certain someone.

"What's he doing here...?" I asked lowly, as to not interrupt everyone's conversation. "What's your game... Nyarlathotep?"

* * *

It was finally time for the beach trip. Everyone was getting ready and had already got on the motorcycles that they had bought for themselves. As I planned, Metis and Aigis got into my car with sunglasses on and they were wearing their bathing suits, too.

"Are we seriously going through with this?" Metis asked.

"Why not?" I asked. "This is the only stylish way to go to the beach. Besides, you two gotta help me with something special." I started driving, looking at the directions that Yosuke gave me.

"What do you mean?" Aigis asked.

"We're all gonna get out at the same time, walk out, throw our sunglasses off, and then pose." I said. Metis whispered something to Aigis, making both her and Aigis laugh.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, nothing." Metis said. I turned on the radio and left those two alone to talk to one another. The rest of the ride was a smooth drive, without any troubles. I got to the beach no problem. All of the other guys were already there, inside the water. I parked the car and turned around to the two girls.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"How are we going to pose?" Aigis asked. "I'll go with it."

"Alright, just follow my lead." I said. I opened the doors of the car and slowly walked out along with the two Shadow Weapons. We took off our sunglasses at the same time and threw them to the side.

"Awaken, my masters!" I yelled, shaking the hair out of my face and crouched down, posing. Metis and Aigis followed my lead to a T. It was spectacular.

"What... the... fuck..." Yosuke said, getting out of the water along with everyone else to meet us. The beach didn't look too shabby. It was what you'd expect of a normal beach to be like.

"Those three... I'll never understand them." Mitsuru shook her head.

"What an entrance... now if only you could break out of a stone and do that." Yu commented.

"Oh well, at least it's nice of you guys to come. We thought that you were ditching." Junpei said.

"Nah. I was not going to miss this chance. I had wanted to do this for a while now." I said. "It's not every day that you get to strike a fabulous pose."

"You got that idea out of a manga, didn't you?" Akihiko asked.

"Alright alright... you got me." I said. "But there were three of us! What else would I have done?"

"Just get into the water." Shinjiro scowled.

* * *

There's literally no way that I could resist gazing at Aigis and Metis all day. I mean... damn! But still, it was getting late, so it was around time to get out of the water.

"I think it's time for a wardrobe malfunction!" I heard Teddie announce. Bullshit! That was my thing! I tried to find the little runt to strangle his ass for copying off of me, but I couldn't find him. He was gone. Whatever... I'm just going to go out of the water now.

"I'm headin' out of the water, now!" I announced. The other guys were out, too. I walked up to them smiling. "Pretty nice day, wasn't it?"

I didn't get a response. Instead I got confused and terror-filled looks from them.

"Anything wrong?" I asked.

"Dude... you might wanna look down." Yosuke pointed down. I looked down... and noticed that I had no pants on. None at all. Completely naked. Nothing covering the almighty D.

"TEDDIE!" I ran back into the water while the girls weren't looking and grabbed Teddie by the waist. I pulled him out of the water along with me, using him to cover Minato Jr.

"What the fuck did you do with my swim trunks!?" I asked, shaking him around. Teddie started flailing in my grasp, trying to break free. "You're not going anywhere you slippery bastard!"

"But... If I don't... my chastity will be ruined!" Teddie whined.

"You should have thought about that before you exposed the most vulnerable piece of my body! If Aigis sees this, she's going to freak out!" I said.

"I'm getting a little tired... I'm gonna head to the boys and see what's up." Aigis announced.

"I can hear the harps..." Teddie went limp.

"Stay with me, Teddie! You're going to find those trunks!" I yelled.

"Oh shit she's coming right here!" Yosuke yelled. "Just stay there, I'll get you something to wear!" He ran off, leaving Yu and the others with me.

"I'll come with you." I heard Metis say.

"Oh no." I said. "You know, if it was just Metis and Aigis coming out, I'd let 'em dangle. But there's other girls here!"

"Here comes Yosuke!" Junpei said. "You're saved, dude!"

"It's the best that I could find, Minato-san! Bear with it!" Yosuke handed me a piece of seaweed that he must have found at the edge of the shore. I was going to kill him later, but this was going to save my life. I threw Teddie to the side and put on the seaweed. I heard two pairs of footsteps approach me.

"What's going on here?" Aigis asked. I turned around with a sheepish smile on my face.

"Uh... we're recreating the birth of Venus...?" Junpei said nervously.

"Y-Yeah! I'm... ready to be born, dammit!" I yelled. Aigis looked down.

"Here you go, asshole." She pulled my trunks out of nowhere and threw them at my face, leaving to go back into the water.

"You know... can I try recreating the birth of Venus?" Metis asked.

"DO IT!" Yosuke smiled widely.

"Not for you, pervert!" Metis yelled. "I'm going back in the water."

As soon as they were a safe distance away, I put on my trunks.

"Did you see the look on Aigis's face?" I asked.

"Yeah. The look on her face said it all." Junpei agreed, nodding his head. Me and the guys all went up to the rails, looking at the water. For my case, however, I was more interested in Aigis and Metis and what they were doing. They had gotten into a splash fight with Yukari and Fuuka. Yu, Yosuke and Kanji were still down at the beach.

"You know, remember when something similar to this happened?" I asked. "I wonder how it would have ended up if it had went like that."

"If it was like last time, we'd be dead." Junpei said.

"I agree." Akihiko nodded.

"I still have nightmares about that." Shinjiro said. "And they all end with us getting executed."

"What if Mitsuru was the one who came out of the water instead? I don't know what she would have freaked out over more. Your speedo or my nakedness." I said.

"Oh, come on! It improves my speed while swimming!" Akihiko said.

"I don't wanna hear any more, dude. I'm already traumatized by what happened today." I said.

"Well, since this beach trip's basically over since I'm sure none of us are going into the water anymore now that that stupid bear is trying to take off everyone's swimsuit, why don't we just sit down and talk about how we're going to take care of Nyarlathotep?" Shinjiro asked.

"I thought we said that we were going to wait for him and fight him when he shows himself?" I heard Aigis's voice say. She was leaning on the rail right next to me.

"When did you get here?" I asked. "You were just in the water!"

"I got out." Aigis said. "Besides, I was starting to get a little cold anyway, and after what Teddie did, I'm surprised I had stayed in a little bit longer."

"Don't remind me. You're probably pissed at me, aren't you?" I asked.

"We're just gonna leave you two alone together and go back to the sand." Junpei said, leaving along with the others.

"Pissed at what?" Aigis asked. "I mean, yeah, it was kinda unnecessary for me to call you an asshole, but you know I think too hastily. I'm not as calm and collected as you."

"What do you think of your Shadow being here?" I asked. "Do you think that she's been sent here as a spy for Nyarlathotep?"

"I doubt she's a spy for him, seeing as how she was talking about him last night. I'm pretty okay with her being here, though. I was hoping that I would at least get to show her what it's like to have friends and all. I can tell that it was something that she didn't have access to when she was all alone." Aigis said.

"What do you think of her being in love with me?" I asked. "You're kinda angry at that, right?"

"I think it's only natural for her to feel that way about you. After all, she is my Shadow. I don't mind her going out with you along with me. My only demand is that I spend 75% of the time with you. She can take that other percent." Aigis said.

"Damn, you're really attached to me, aren't you? What do you see in me, anyway? You see how I act around others." I said. I was a little bothered about how she instantly latched onto me instead of someone who was nice and kind like Junpei or Akihiko. There were plenty of viable choices, but she picked me instead. I had no redeeming qualities... so what was it that she saw in me?

"I don't know how to put this..." Aigis said. "I guess you can say that since I've known you longer than anyone else on the team, I was drawn to you more. When we were at the lab when you were young, I had promised you that I'd always be by your side. I wanted to keep that promise, and when I saw you again I was happy. After being with you... and looking at you all grown up... I started to fall in love with you. I want to keep on keeping that promise to you, of always being by your side. Why do you like me? You could have picked a lot of other people as well. There's Yukari. She's really pretty. Why didn't you stay with her? I remember you were dating for a short time."

"Why I chose you over the other girls? I don't know... I mean, you being the most beautiful of all of the other girls DID have something to do with it, but that wasn't all that was influencing me on my decision to date you. I guess it was partly because of what you said. How we were together for a long time, and when I saw you I started to fall in love with you, stopping my thinking of you as a bigger sister to me. I started thinking of you as a lover, and all that. I started feeling really weird when you were around. I didn't know what that feeling was... because I had abandoned all signs of emotion a long time ago. But when I started to feel that way, I realized what was going on in my life and how I needed to change that. I thought that by dating you I would find my emotions again, and while I was dating you, I fell in love. I'm lucky that I got you, Aigis. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I gave my answer.

"Oh... Minato..." Aigis smiled. I could see tears forming in her eyes. She hugged me real tightly. "I love you..."

"I love you too, Aigis..." I said. "Now and forever. Hey, after this whole thing with Nyarlathotep is over, let's do something. Anything."

"What are you talking about?" Aigis asked.

"I dunno, really. Right now I'm just saying things that pop up in my mind." I said. "I get really nervous when I'm with you. I don't wanna say the wrong thing to you."

"Me neither. I guess that's one thing that we have in common." Aigis said. "You know, there's always something about the sunset that always gets me. It's really pretty, you know?"

"Just like you." I commented. Aigis blushed and looked down at her hands.

"You can be really romantic when you need to be, Minato." She said. "It's a shame that it's not all the time."

"Aw come on, you know you love my quirky personality!" I said.

"That's true." Aigis said. "Let's do our best starting tomorrow, okay? We gotta find out what he's planning to do and stop whatever it is that he's planning."

"Yeah." I said, knowing that she was talking about Nyarlathotep.

We spent some more time together before we went home for the day after the sun fully set. I always liked peaceful moments like those. They were the kind of moments that I wished lasted forever. I came here thinking that I wasn't going to have a good time, but in reality, Aigis made it all better.

She always makes everything better for me. I can say it with pure certainty now. I love Aigis.

It was decided. Tomorrow we would get started on finding clues about Nyarlathotep's location and what he's planning to do. We would have to use every resource available to us for this. Adachi would prove to be especially useful considering he was a police officer.

As I drove home, I started thinking about just what I wanted to do with Aigis when all this was over. I had gotten a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do.


	33. Masks

The entire life that I was leading is a mess. I've got a pretty friggin sexy girlfriend who loves me a lot, and I've also got her insane psychopath Shadow wanting to do every dirty act in the book to me. I can safely say that I am friends with a bear. One of my best friends is a very rich person who has influence everywhere in Japan.

Also, butterflies are now evil as according to current circumstances.

Yeah, it's decided. My life is a mess. And you know what I'm doing about it? Listening to music, hoping that this whole thing gets blown away and that we're just freaking out over absolutely nothing. Here's to hoping that Nyarlathotep is just a joke that Igor and Aigis's Shadow are playing on us.

That's actually a pretty friggin cruel joke. There's no way that it could be a joke.

"Come on, Minato, get out of bed or I'm going to drag you out of there. I know you sleep naked. You don't want anyone to see you nude." I heard my girlfriend warn.

You ever wonder what it's like having a robot for a girlfriend? Go to your toaster. Grab it. Caress it. Whisper sweet nothings into it. There you go. That's what it's like having Aigis as a girlfriend, even though she totally has a human disguise that makes her look and feel 100% human. And let me tell you, she feels 100% human.

And so here I am, getting dragged out of my room by said girlfriend, with just my underwear on. Why was I getting dragged out of my room like this?

"We're going to start our search today, Minato!" Aigis said, continuing to mutilate my gorgeous, chiseled body by dragging it on the floor.

"You know, you can be really horrible when you want to." I said.

"But that's all part of why you love me." Aigis returned. We reached downstairs and I sat down next to her on the couch. Mitsuru went to open her mouth, but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

"I'll get it." I said. I ran upstairs and put some pants on and then answered the door. A kid that was wearing blue, blue and even more blue was at the door.

"Uh, hey there." I greeted.

"Good morning. My name is Naoto Shirogane. I'm here to see one "Adachi Tohru". Do you know where he is?" The kid asked.

"He's right upstairs. What do you need to see him for?" I asked. "We're kinda having an important meeting here."

"A meeting...? About what?" Naoto asked.

"Nothing of your business. I'll get Adachi for you." I said. I walked up the stairs along with the kid.

"Adachi, this person here wants to see you." I said.

"Yes, I have news from Dojima-san. He wants you at the precinct now." Naoto said. The kid took a look around the house. Her eyes stopped on Mitsuru. "You... you are Mitsuru Kirijo, are you not? The leader of the Shadow Operatives."

"How do you know that information? We're supposed to be unknown." Mitsuru said.

"With the way that you dress, there's only one logical conclusion that you can get." Naoto said. "I've been looking into you all. I've heard about your involvement with the even that occurred two years ago."

"You didn't come here for Adachi, did you?" I asked.

"No, I did come here for another reason. I just wanted an excuse to come in, and noticing Adachi-san here I used him as a way to get inside. What I'm really here for is a request." Naoto said.

"And what's that request?" Akihiko asked.

"You're heavily involved with the current murder case, and I would like to get this case over and done with, and solved as soon as possible. I want to question you." Naoto said. "You must know something about the case."

"Please. Stop." I said. "I read right into you. You want something more than that. You want to get involved with us. You want to join the Shadow Operatives."

Naoto looked surprised by what I said. It was easy to read the kid. Naoto fidgeted around before answering.

"Um... Yes." Naoto said. "But... how did you know?"

"Minato here is good at reading people. We all have different specialties. His is reading people." Mitsuru said. "If you want to join the team, then there's only one thing that I have to ask of you. Can you pull the trigger?"

"Mitsuru!" Akihiko stood up. "Do you realize how young this boy is!?"

"Ken was young." Mitsuru said. Akihiko couldn't find anything to respond with. He sat down, glaring at the floor. Mitsuru got up and handed Naoto her evoker.

"It's simple. Just pull the trigger." Mitsuru encouraged.

"This isn't a real gun." Naoto said. "It's a fake."

"Yes. That's an evoker. It's used to activate your special power." Mitsuru explained. "If you want to join, you have to pull the trigger. Do you have the courage to do so?"

"I see why you have this as a test. A test of courage. You're implying that what I'm about to get into requires much courage." Naoto said. "Very well. I accept."

Naoto rose the evoker to his head. He started to shake a little bit before he pressed it all the way. He slowly pulled the trigger, and evoked her Persona. It looked a little bit like himself, but with a laser sword and butterfly wings.

Ugh... butterflies. Haven't I heard enough about them already?

"What is that creature that came out of me!?" Naoto yelled.

"That is what is known as a Persona. You may keep that evoker so that you may summon it at will. Now that you have awakened to your inner self, your fate is sealed." Mitsuru said. "That was something that my father once told me, before he died. You start today. We'll fill you in on everything that's happened up until this point. Brace yourself, this is a little hard to take in..."

* * *

Naoto was staring at us like we were crazy. It's obvious that no one would be able to quite understand all of that at once. After what we've been through, however, we will believe anything.

"So you're telling me that this "Nyarlathotep" character is most likely behind the case and there's no way to determine his position, so you're going to go and look for him now?" Naoto asked, wanting to confirm what he just heard.

"Yeah." I said. "From now on, would you like to stay here? We kinda have a rule that we all stick together."

"Yes, it seems that is for the best." Naoto said. "I'll contact my caretakers and tell them that I will be living here for now. I hope that we all get along with each other."

"Right now it's some time in August. I hope to have this done by the end of September." Aigis said.

"Yeah, I agree. I want to get back to my life." Shinjiro said.

"So, my Persona is a part of me and will share my feelings and thoughts while it's out?" Naoto asked.

"Think of it this way, your Persona is your Stand." I said.

"Minato, I hardly thing that she'll know what that's from." Metis said.

"Wh-What!? How do you... How did you...?" Naoto gasped. She blushed and looked down.

"Don't forget that I'm a robot, Naoto. Damn... you've got some big ones on you!" Metis said.

"P-Please don't speak about them... it's... embarrassing." Naoto said.

"Why are you posing as a boy?" Akihiko asked. "What's wrong with your gender the way it is now?"

"It's... it's something personal. I'm not ready to tell you all yet." Naoto said. It was an understandable reason. After all, she's only known us for at least 4 hours. Akihiko kind of needed to stop being so pushy at times. But it wasn't right for Metis to just go and say that Naoto was a girl. When she was ready she could have told us.

"I just noticed. You two look a lot like each other!" Aigis announced. "You could be twins!"

Both me and Naoto looked at Aigis with confusion on our faces.

"You even have that same look!" Aigis smiled. "Maybe you're related somehow!"

"I sincerely doubt it. However, we could be cousins and not even realize it. We should just go on the idea that we are nowhere near related and just look alike for now." Naoto said.

"What, you don't wanna be my distant cousin or something?" I smirked. Naoto glared at me. "I'm just joking, Naoto."

Nevertheless, it was going to be more interesting around here now that Naoto was going to be joining us. We should probably go and get her adjusted with everything.

* * *

I walked down the shopping district, listening in on various conversations. You would be surprised at how much you can find out when you listen in on two housewives gossiping.

"Did you hear about the dead body that they found hanging from a telephone pole? Some say that it was a classroom teacher by the name of Mr. Morooka!" I heard one say.

Someone died? I hoped that this wasn't a freshly found body and it was just old gossip springing up again. I felt compelled to listen in on what they had to say.

"Really...? I heard that he wasn't a very liked teacher. Do you think that someone from his class might have done it?" One of the housewives asked.

"Ooh... kids these days are just the worst, you know? Why, the other day my son..." The other one started ranting about her kid, signaling for me that it wasn't time to pay attention anymore. I had got the information that I needed, however. When I go home for the day I'd tell the others about it. I looked to the side and saw Yu walking along with Yukiko, Chie and Rise all along with him. There were other girls as well. He didn't seem to be paying attention to them, either.

What was that kid up to? I heard some mechanical noises behind me and saw Labrys walking up to me.

"Hey, Labrys! What's up?" I asked.

"Hey, Minato-kun. How's it going?" She asked. She didn't seem quite like her regular self... Was something bothering her?

"I'm just wondering what that kid's up to. He's got all those girls with him and I don't like the looks of that." I said.

"Wow. You really were a Class A Harem Protagonist two years ago. You really don't get it?" Labrys asked.

"What do you mean, Class A Harem Protagonist? Are you saying something about me?" I asked.

"You didn't know that you had basically every girl in the entire school, and even some guys after you?" Labrys asked.

"Every girl in the entire school? I doubt that." I said.

"Well..." Labrys blushed wildly. "I guess you could say that I was part of that harem that you had going on..."

"Really? What did Aigis have to say about that?" I asked.

"She was extremely pissed off at me. I stopped after she yelled at me because I didn't want to make her mad. I mean, come on, she's my sister! I don't wanna hurt her or piss her off." Labrys said.

"So that kid's got himself a harem, huh? Well, it's nothing like the legendary Tartarus party." I said.

"I keep on hearing about that and I have no idea what that is." Labrys said.

"It was a while ago, before you were a part of the team. I would go in with Yukari, Mitsuru and Aigis all the time." I said. "Like I said, legendary Tartarus party. Oh, and has Mitsuru ever told you the story of the High Cut Armor? That was a fun time."

"So it's true. You had basically every single one of them back then. I'm glad that you chose Aigis though. You two are the perfect match for one another. And besides, I wouldn't have you as my best friend!" Labrys said.

"I'm glad that you think that." I said. "It looks like Yu's heading towards Junes. I don't wanna follow him around, but I do wonder what he's doing..."

"He's probably trying to go and buy something. I heard from Yosuke-kun that they're going on a school trip to a VERY familiar place three days from now." Labrys said.

"What place are they going to? They can't possibly go that far. I mean, it's friggin Inaba." I said. "Where are they going to go?"

"Iwatodai." Labrys said. I almost dropped my MP3.

"Really? I think I might hop aboard that trip. Hey, why don't we all go just to see Iwatodai again!?" I asked. "It'd be a lot of fun, you know?"

"Yeah. I think so too. The next time that we see everyone we'll let them know." Labrys said. "I just hope that nothing happens while we're gone. It'd be a perfect time to strike."

"Don't think like that." I said. "You know, the only date that I'm not looking forward to is November 4th."

"Why do... oh, yeah, that's right... that's when Ikutsuki..." Labrys began. "Oh well, let's just forget about it. I mean, he hasn't done anything, and after the beat down that he got when he tried to kill us, I'm sure that he was dead before he got down Tartarus."

"You can't be too sure of certain things, though, you know?" I said. "It's just that kind of premonition that you get when you think that your popcorn's getting burnt while it's in the microwave because you had to go to the bathroom while you were making the popcorn."

"What on god's earth does that mean?" Labrys asked.

"I don't know myself." I shook my head. "I don't know myself."

* * *

Once again I found myself looking down on the hill overlooking the town. I found that spot to be my favorite spot in Inaba. I saw the kids walking downtown with big smiles on their faces. I remember when I had times like that with the other members of the Shadow Operatives. Those days where I was young and innocent faded away. My innocence to the world was lost after that battle with Nyx. That's when I had found out how evil this world could be. This place changed me so much that I didn't even know who I was anymore.

"Do you seek the truth of yourself...?"

"Who's there!?" I yelled, turning around and looking all over to the owner of the voice. This was like the one time that that girl woke up during the Dark Hour and came to Tartarus on her own. The night of the second full moon, I believe.

"Follow the sound of my voice... I'll show you the truth."

This is an obvious trap. But once again, there was something about that voice that... soothed me. The same as what happened with that bear's Shadow. I couldn't help myself. My legs were moving on their own. It was like a fog overtook my body. I couldn't see anything. I hoped that my legs didn't lead me off of the cliff. Still moving, not of my own accord, I blacked out.

* * *

My head felt groggy... like someone had hit me over the head with something. I got up and looked around at my surroundings. It was a castle. This seemed like it was the castle that we found Yukiko in, but I wasn't getting the same feeling as I did before. Was I... inside of the TV? It felt like it was the Dark Hour. That could only mean that I was inside of the TV, and if that was the case then... was this castle... not Yukiko's, but my own? What was this supposed to be?

It was completely dark around here. All light that could be coming in was being blocked. I wouldn't be able to tell if a Shadow was approaching me or not. I felt an oppressive presence to the north. That must be where whatever threw me into the TV was.

But just what did throw me into the TV? That voice... it sounded oddly like my own. I stopped to calm my mind. I started thinking about what was going on, and the information that I already knew. This was obviously the world that was reflected by my heart. I'm inside of the TV due to the atmosphere around me. Whatever threw me in here asked me if I wanted to know what my true self was. Also, that voice was my own.

It could only mean one thing.

I pressed onward, wading my way through the darkness of this empty castle. An empty castle, huh? That voice started to talk to me after I said that I didn't even know myself.

Eventually, I came across what felt like a very large door. I pushed it open and walked in. After I did, light finally shone down on the area. I was in a throne room, by the looks of it. It was once again, as a motif of this place, relatively empty. What statement was this trying to make about me? I didn't understand just what was going on here, but I think I had the idea.

"You're my Shadow, right? The one who put me in the TV?" I asked. "Come on out!"

A ton of different "me"s walked out from behind the throne at the other end of the room. They all were smiling at me knowingly.

"You found me out. But which one is the real me...?" They all asked at the same time. "Can you tell which one of me is your Shadow?"

"You're implying something by doing that." I said. "Just what are you saying?"

"You're always so calm and cool and collected." Every single one of them asked. "But I guess you can see right through me. After all, we are each other." All of the other "me"s merged together into one. What was standing before me was my actual Shadow.

"So, what were you trying to say about me?" I asked.

"Don't you get it...? You think that you're smart, but that's just a facade. Everything about you is a facade. What kind of person are you when there's nothing about you that's your own?" My Shadow asked.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "And more importantly, why didn't you wait for a Midnight Channel to be shown of me before you tried to attack me? You're not an ordinary Shadow, are you?"

"You're always dodging the topic at hand. Is it because you're scared of it? After all, you've seen the things that even someone as benevolent as Aigis keeps down deep inside of her. You're scared of what's inside of you, Minato. You're scared of what you are, deep down inside. Which is why you put this on." My Shadow pulled out a mask that looked like the face of Orpheus, one of the Personas that I owned in the past.

"A mask?" I asked. "What does that have to do with anything!?"

"And there goes your calm, cool and collected mask. Shattered by the revelation that I just gave you. You have many masks, don't you? You talk to someone with a blank personality at first when you meet them, and then you start to develop the mask that you wear for that one specific person. Maybe that's why you're so good at reading people? You have no personality. You have no true self. There is no 'real' Minato Arisato." My Shadow said.

"What kind of nonsense is that!? Of course there's a real me!" I yelled.

"Ooh, that's bad. You seem to be losing your cool now. Is it because you're being backed into a wall because I'm right? You don't even show your 'real' self to your girlfriend. That's very cruel of you. You're a cruel person, you know? Do you want to know what's deep down inside of you, Minato? I can tell you. I am you." My Shadow said. "Deep down inside of you you're scared. You're afraid of what other people might think of you, so you put on a facade of a different personality. Little masks that you keep with you so you don't have anything to fear. With that mask, you have no worries. No one can hurt you for who you are if they can't see who you are. The mask that you wear for everyone is there to protect you from your fears."

"And just what is my fear...?" I growled.

"Your fear is simple. You fear pain." My Shadow said. "And not physical pain. You can take that all you want. What I'm talking about is emotional pain. You don't want to be hurt by someone's words, so you put the mask up. The mask is a way for you to protect yourself. You keep wearing your masks while you talk to other people so that you can keep yourself safe from their words. In reality, you are terrified of interaction with others. It's a lie when you say that Aigis is your way to help open yourself up to the world because of one simple thing. You wear a mask for her, too. You form your masks based on others' personalities. Their likes and dislikes. That becomes your mask, and you model yourself after them. But as soon as you're done with them for the day, you take that mask off."

"Get to the point." I pushed.

"Okay, fine. All of your masks are for one thing. To avoid your greatest fear."

"Like you know anything about my greatest fear!" I yelled.

"But I do! I'm you, right!? It's only obvious that I know! Your greatest fear... is losing someone dear to you! You distance yourself from others so that you don't make bonds with them! When you make those bonds, and those bonds are severed, you are left devastated by that loss! It all started when you lost your parents at the bridge. You were so hurt... you had wanted to kill yourself that night. You were only six years old that night, but you still understood the concept of loss. It was something that you didn't want to experience ever again, so you kept to yourself at the orphanage, and you kept to yourself two years ago, too. But you know what scares you? What keeps you up at night... the nightmare that plagues your sleep every night..."

"Don't you speak anymore..." I warned.

"As soon as you lose her, you know it! You know that as soon as you lose Aigis you'll do it! Why not do it now!? Why not let me do the honors? I'll end your pitiful life! I'll give you the salvation that you need! I'm a Messiah! I'll save your soul from the damnation that you put it through!" Shadow Me yelled.

"NO!" All I saw was red. "Stop talking like you're me! Stop saying shit like that! It's all bullshit! As if you know anything about what I feel! As far as I know, you're just another one of the masks that I wear every day!"

"Say it! Say it and let me be free!"

"YOU'RE NOT ME!" Before I could catch myself, I had said those magical words. The words that my Shadow was longing to hear. I looked on in horror as I saw My Shadow smile devilishly. It didn't transform. A sick, black, liquid-like substance crawled up it's body, covering it entirely. The only thing that shone through the shell that it had formed were two gleaming white eyes. I knew what it was trying to say through it's symbolization.

The ultimate mask. One that covers your whole body, protecting you from everything to the outside world.

"I am a Shadow, the true self. I will save you from your pain... I will give you your salvation. So come over... cry on my shoulder... tell me about all that you've suffered. I... will be there to listen." It said.

"I'm going to have to fight this thing all by myself..." I told myself. "I won't have any help. This fight is going to be just me... finally overcoming my fears."


	34. Burn My Dread

I stared down my Shadow, looking into it's empty white eyes. We were both waiting for someone to make the first move. If you wanted to win, you never make the first move.

"You're not going to make the first move, huh? I guess that means that I'm up first." My Shadow drew the evoker that was attached to the belt on his hip. "Persona!"

I braced myself for Thanatos to jump out at me and try to slash me with it's katana, but I was greeted with a big, golden shield ramming into me. I fell to the floor, getting a good look of the Persona that hit me.

"Athena...?"

I understand. The "masks" that I wore... were my other Personas that weren't mine. Personas like Attis, Beelzebub, all of those. Every other Persona that I had that wasn't Thanatos was a different mask for me to wear. I couldn't let this get to me. It's what my Shadow wants. Right now my Shadow wants nothing more than for me to lower my guard. It wants to kill me.

As I expected, another Persona that belonged to my friends appeared to attack me. I ran towards my Shadow, dodging a charge made my Trismegistus. Thanatos leaped out of me and opened its coffins. A flurry of icicles shot out of them, piercing my Shadow. He didn't show any sings of slowing down. He was going to be a tough one. Well, if that's my Shadow of course it's going to be tough!

"Oh... it looks like your friends have found out where you are." My Shadow announced. "I wonder... can they survive what I have out for them? Let's watch while we fight!" Shadow Minato snapped, and a television screen-like thing came down from the ceiling, showing the other members of the Shadow Operatives.

"Is this really what's inside of his mind?" I heard Junpei asked. I couldn't listen to them the entire time. I would have to focus on fighting my Shadow. What a dirty trick... he's trying to make me focus on my friends.

"Aigis, you can stay behind if you want to. I know you're scared..." Mitsuru's voice.

"Artemesia!" My Shadow yelled. A pillar of ice started to grow at my feet. I jumped away just in time to avoid it sprouting from the ground. I countered with a wave of blue fire that Thanatos threw at my Shadow. While he was stunned by the flames, I ran in and started slashing at him. He knocked me away with a quick kick to the stomach.

"Are you sure that you can keep on going?" Shadow Me asked. "You look like you're getting tired."

"I'm not going to run away from you... I can't keep running away from what you're saying." I said. I jumped up on top of Thanatos. He dashed towards my Shadow with a green wind picking up around him. The Shadow jumped over the tornado, but Thanatos used his legs to kick himself up and hit the Shadow anyway. Thanatos grabbed me and set me down on the ground.

"I just don't understand... how could he be thrown into the TV?" I heard Aigis ask. My Shadow smirked as it sank down into the ground like it had just melted. Since it was so dark here I couldn't see where he was. To hit him I was just going by his shining eyes alone...

I started to look around for where he could be. I moved to every corner of the room and even looked underneath the throne. He was nowhere to be found. Did he run away? I felt the hairs on my neck stand up, and I jumped up, turning around to see what was behind me. Nothing. I sighed, and got back to searching for him.

"What do you think Minato's thinking right now? Do you think that he's fighting his Shadow?" Akihiko asked.

"Who knows. Whatever the case is, though, we have to go in and save him." Shinjiro said.

My Shadow was still eluding me. He wasn't anywhere. My Shadow... That's it! I quickly unsheathed my sword and stabbed the ground in front of me. I heard my Shadow scream in pain as it reformed a few feet away.

"Damn you!" He swore.

"What's wrong? Didn't expect that to happen?" I asked. "I knew that you were trying to trick me. Since you're a Shadow, you hid in my own shadow. Clever, I gotta say."

"You're not going to go down that easily..." My Shadow said. I felt myself getting pulled towards him. No matter what I could do, I couldn't stop being drawn to him. I realized what this was. It was a trick of Akihiko's. Caesar was behind my Shadow, holding a gravitational sphere in his hands. My Shadow drew his arm back and waited for me to reach him. I tried to raise my arms in defense but my Shadow was faster and punched me in the face. I fell to the floor, grasping my face in pain.

"It's dark in here again, so you can't see very well can you? You can only see my eyes. That was what you were using to attack me." My Shadow said. "So now... I'll close my eyes. I am one with the Shadows, I can feel where you are." I struggled to my feet. He was right. I couldn't see where he was now. He could be absolutely anywhere. I called Thanatos to send a Maragidyne in a random direction. The fires from his attack lit up the room. I couldn't find my Shadow. Where was he hiding? Thanatos opened his coffins again and sent multiple icicles flying in multiple directions, hoping to hit my Shadow.

I was hopelessly lost. With my Shadow closing its eyes, I was completely blind. It said that it could sense me, even with its eyes closed. I had hoped that that was a bluff.

"It wasn't a bluff." My Shadow said. I felt his breath on my neck. How did he get behind me so fast without me noticing!? My Shadow once again punched me in the face. He hits with such force that I get sent flying in the direction that he punched every time. I felt myself hit one of the four pillars in the room. I slid down to the floor and slumped over.

"It's time to end this..." I heard my Shadow say. "And I'll even kill you with your lover's Persona!"

I braced myself for what was to come. I... had failed. But at least I had tried.

"Athena!""Wh-What!?" My Shadow yelled. It's eyes opened, and I could finally see a little bit. A golden spear was through him, but it wasn't the same kind of gold that was his Athena's spear.

"Castor!" A giant fist appeared above my Shadow's head and smashed down on him. The darkness of the room faded as my Shadow reverted to it's normal form.

"Everyone!" I said. Everyone had entered the room, and took care of my Shadow with a sneak attack.

"Minato, are you alright?" Yukari asked, crouching down beside me using Isis to heal my wounds.

"Yeah... I'm fine." Yukari helped me get up. Even though she healed me, I still felt weak. My Shadow also struggled to his feet. "You..."

"Minato..." Aigis said. I saw that she was on the verge of tears.

"I know that what you said was true. Deep down inside, I always knew that what happened that day would never leave me. It's true that I'm afraid of forming bonds... it's true that I'm afraid of being hurt and betrayed... and it's also true that I'm scared to death of losing someone that I care for as much as I do Aigis. I always knew that there was something wrong with me, and I had felt that way for a long time. You helped me realize what was wrong with me. I have to thank you for that. It's time to take off the masks. It's time to show everyone what's really on the inside." I said. "That's what you were trying to prove to me, right? No, that's what I was trying to prove to myself. After all, you and I are one in the same."

"Minato-kun..." Labrys said.

My Shadow faded away, and Orpheus and Thanatos appeared above me. They grabbed each others' hands and started to form together into a Persona that was completely different. It had Orpheus's face and body. It held Thanatos's katana in it's hands and was wearing a wristband made out of the coffins that were wrapped around Thanatos's neck. Around it's waist were wing-like limbs.

This was my new Persona. My two Personas merged together to make one new one.

"I am thou... and thou art I." I heard a voice in my head say. "From the sea of thy soul I come. From this day forth, I shall be with you for eternity. I am Messiah."

"Minato's Personas... they merged!" Fuuka said.

"So... after facing himself his Persona evolved for the last time." Shinjiro said. "We should go back. He looks just about dead."

"You're right. Let's head back." Naoto said.

I grabbed Aigis's hand and held it the entire way back. Deep down, I finally considered everyone on the Shadow Operatives with me my friends, and not just teammates.

* * *

This morning I felt better than I had ever had before. As always, Aigis was hugging me while she was sleeping. I felt even better because of the fact that right on my other side, Metis was doing the same.

I literally woke up covered in women. And this was every day. My phone chimed. I checked it, seeing a text message from Junpei.

"Hey dude! We're all going to go with the Investigation Team to their class trip! Come with us, dude! We leave in like, five hours, though, so take your time, okay?" The text read.

"Damn, you've really improved on your texting grammar. I'll come with you, just gotta wake up the ladies." I replied.

"Aigis, it's time to wake up..." I said, brushing some hair out of her face.

"Mmm... no... I don't wanna wake up..." I heard Aigis complain.

"Come on, Aigis..." I said.

"Nooo... I wanna cuddle with you more..." She said. She hugged me tighter.

"Alright, alright! You have 2 more hours before I get up myself." I said. "We're all going to the school trip that the other kids are going to."

"Okay. That give me as much time as I need." She smiled at me lazily.

"You're the most adorable thing I've ever seen when you're tired." I smiled back. "My heart can't take it..."

"Have you noticed that I'm the only one who sleeps with something on? You're either naked or in your underwear and Metis is just... Metis." Aigis said.

"I just woke up, Aigis. You know I can't respond to those types of questions with a straight face and not make it turn into me making jokes about sex." I said. "Let's get ready for the trip now."

* * *

And so we all got ready and got on the train that the others were getting on that would take them to Iwatodai. It's been two years since I've last seen that place. I was ready to see how everyone else was doing. As always, Aigis was right next to me. Since three could be fitted in a seat, I sat next to Junpei, too.

"You really were going through a lot, weren't you, dude? Just remember, I'm always here for you bro." Junpei said. "You're my best pal, dude!"

"You're my best friend too, Junpei." I said. I had known him for the longest time, and I stuck together with him through everything. Junpei was a total and true bro. He would never leave you hanging. Akihiko was another one of my greatest friends. Well, everyone that was a part of SEES are my greatest friends, and I know this is selfish, but some more than others. Besides, we all act like we're one big family anyway.

"Yo, Minato!" Labrys called from the other side of the train. We were the only ones in the car that we were in, so we didn't need to worry about getting loud. Labrys was sitting with Yosuke, who was sitting with Yu. "Can't wait to go back to Iwatodai after all these years!"

"Me either. There's so many good memories of that place." I said.

"You guys were there before? How was it?" Yosuke asked.

"We lived there before. It was where we were going to school, too. We stayed in a dorm that's still up because of Mitsuru's influence." Akihiko explained.

"Wow... I guess that place holds a special spot in your heart." Yosuke said. "I can't wait to see it."

"It's not too shabby of a place once you see it. There's a lot to do there compared to Inaba." Shinjiro said.

"I can't wait..." Yukiko smiled.

The train had eventually arrived and we all got off.

We all couldn't stick together because the kids had to go to their teacher for the role call, so I walked off along with Aigis and the others to the Iwatodai Dorm. The dorm that we stayed in all the time two years ago. It was our home for a time. I loved that place. It was so comfy...

The dorm had remained untouched. Mitsuru had preserved it with the help of her ties to the Kirijo Group, being it's sole leader now. The same walls, the same floor, the same layout. Everything was the same as it was two years ago. Everyone got right to unpacking for the duration that we were staying here.

I had already finished early, since I only took clothes with me, and was sitting down on the couch enjoying some alone time with my music. It was going to be a comfy three days, I could tell.

* * *

The two days that followed basically consisted of me hanging out with the people that I used to talk to a lot when I was at Iwatodai two years ago. Kenji was doing fine, Kaz was okay with his leg... things were really looking forward for the others. If I thought about it, things looked like they were going pretty nice for me as well. I can tell why after facing their Shadows everyone was so happy. It really does take a lot of weight off of your shoulders. And this new Persona of mine, Messiah, was really powerful. It seemed like it had all of the powers of both Thanatos and Orpheus, which would be expected considering the fact that this Persona was birthed from the fusion of those two. I still couldn't believe how calculating my Shadow was when I fought it! It had that entire thing practically sown up!

Today was the last day of the trip and the younger kids invited me and the rest of the Shadow Operatives to go with them to Escapade. I didn't know the reason why, but I decided that it was a good idea.

We all met up in the club.

"Hey everyone! Let's head upstairs." Rise said. "We're going to enjoy ourselves today before we go back! That's why I ordered everyone drinks."

"You did what? Are you even allowed to do that? How old are you?" Akihiko asked. He was always a little bit stingy when it came to alcohol. Adachi was with it the whole way, though. He loved drinking. Sometimes he would even come home drunk, and that made Junpei's mood dampen a little. I guess his mind was still on his father and his drinking habits. I'm sure that what Adachi was doing wasn't helping it any...

We all sat together in the upper part of Escapade. I remembered that there was a monk here named Mutatsu that I used to talk to every day. He would go on and on about some stuff about monks and all that. It's sad to say, but I hardly remembered what we talked about. It was so late at night, anyway, so how was I supposed to pay attention at that godforsaken hour?

The drinks all came up and Adachi got started right away. I looked at my drink hesitantly before picking it up. I looked at it a little bit before I started drinking myself.

"I have an idea!" Rise jumped up. Her face was completely red. She was... for lack of a better term, drunk off her ass. "KIIIIING'S GAAAAME!"

"K-King's Game...? What the hell is that?" Junpei asked.

"Here's the rules. You take sticks that have numbers on them, and whoever draws the one that has red on it is the king. The king has the ability to command people to do whatever he pleases. But the one thing is... you have to say the number before you say what you want that person to do. So it's completely random. And whatever the king says is the rule. You have to do it." I explained.

"Minato... are you alright...?" Junpei asked. "And how do you know about this "King's Game"?" Junpei asked.

"I'm completely fine, Junpei." I looked towards the wall. "I'm completely fine."

"Oh God..." Aigis rolled her eyes.

"What are you saying that for, Aigis? You only say it like that when I'm drunk. I'm not drunk. I'm completely fine." I said.

"You know you're drunk when you keep on saying that you're completely fine." Aigis responded.

"I don't know what you mean, Aigis. You must be going crazy. I'm completely fine." I responded.

"The straight face and the "I'm completely fine" would like to object." Aigis rolled her eyes again.

"But I'm completely fine, Aigis. I'm not drunk." I said. Eventually, the sticks all came and we all got our chance to draw. I picked the one to the most extreme left. I had good luck with this game. I knew that I was going to be king.

"Alright. Who's the king?" I asked.

"I'm king." Junpei got up. "I'm... I'm king! I'm the king!"

"That's completely fine." I said. "Now then, pick your number and what they're going to do."

"Uh... Please God above give me a girl! Number nine gives me a big kiss!" Junpei yelled.

"You're so lucky, Junpei." Yukari smirked. She grabbed Junpei and started a full-on makeout session with him. Looks like she was number nine.

"I have just one question. How come Minato's calm when he's drunk? I'd expect the opposite." Yosuke said.

"Minato's... he's just Minato. Let him be." Aigis said. It was time to draw once again. I looked at my stick and saw that it had red on it.

"I'm the king..." I stated. "And now..." My attitude grew serious. I looked around the room and saw a dart board. There were a few darts at the table, so I picked them up. I threw it up in the air and caught it. I suddenly felt real hot... so I took off my shirt.

"Whoa..." Chie said. "He's hot!"

"Keep talking, Chie. There's going to be a few bullet holes in you if you keep that up." Aigis warned.

"Not to mention a few limbs getting ripped off." Metis added. Chie instantly shut up and leaned back in her seat. I threw the dart. It landed on 7.

"Number 7... Sits on my lap." I said.

Aigis lifted her head high into the air and walked over to me, sitting down on my lap. Good. She was number 7. That was completely fine.

"And now for the next one." The sticks were drawn again, with Aigis still on my lap.

"I'm up." Yu said. He was about as drunk off his ass as I was, it seemed. Yes, I admit it! I'm drunk!

"Number 4 gives me a piggy back ride." Yu said.

"No way." Yosuke stood up begrudgingly and walked over to Yu. "Well... here you go, partner. We have to suffer the same fate."

"That's completely okay." Yu said.

Nevertheless, it prove to be an interesting night. Teddie had gotten to be king, and was so drunk that he started to actually make out with Kanji of all people. That bear was one crazy thing, I tell ya. You wouldn't know what he's planning to do next. Eventually, the younger kids all started going out cold because of the alcohol. I went to get up, but realized that I had someone sleeping on me. Both Aigis and Metis were on top of my lap, resting on my shoulder.

"You're still up, Minato?" Mitsuru asked.

"I didn't expect you to be the one to be up either, Mitsuru." I said.

"Well... you know." Mitsuru shrugged. "I mean... even the most refined of people have some things that they wouldn't like to admit."

"You went clubbing on some of those nights, didn't you?" I asked.

"...Maybe." Mitsuru said. "And lest you want to be executed, continue with your questions."

"No, that's fine." I said. It was a long ordeal, but the two of us managed to get everyone to their respective areas.

* * *

We boarded the train back to Inaba after that day at Escapade. It was something that we were never going to speak of again, thanks to the efforts of Teddie and Yu.

"I can't believe that you talked me into that." Aigis said. This time I was sitting with both her and Metis.

"Hey, you were the one that got drunk." I said. "I was completely fine!"

"We get it, we get it!" Metis said. "But still... I'm kinda concerned that Nyarlathotep hasn't done anything too severe lately. It's like he wants us to do something first before he comes after us."

"Maybe he wants us to solve the case first and then he'll do something." I suggested.

"But what if he's the one behind the case, which I strongly assume?" Metis asked. "He's waiting for something special to happen, that's what."

"Whatever it is, we can't rest now. We'll get to the bottom of this." Aigis said.

"You know, I really needed this trip back to home." I said. "It was great seeing everyone again. And I heard that Chihiro was the Student Council President now! Can you believe that!?"

"It's all thanks to you, you know. You gave her the courage to do that." Aigis said. "I know it sounds like I'm your mother when I say this, but seeing you grow from the adorable little boy that you were to the man that you are now... I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Aigis. I can say the same for you, too." I said. "Before you were like Labrys when she first showed up. Now you're like an actual human being."

It was silent ride home afterwards. Aigis and Metis were once again sleeping on my shoulder while I listened to music, and the others were talking silently amongst themselves. Facing myself really did shine some happiness down on my life. It helped me see what I had with me for the longest time.

Friends that I could count on and trust. I didn't even realize that I had someone that loved me like Aigis does until I was reminded of the fact that I don't want to see her gone from my Shadow. I was devastated when she overheated. I thought I was never going to see her again. I was so happy when she came back to fight Shadow Rise and Shadow Teddie with us all. I was happy when I saw her defeat my Shadow. I was happy just seeing her.

The same went for my friends. They all brightened up my day. Even those kids. I could actually, truly say I enjoyed hanging out with those kids.

Me facing my Shadow was a wake-up call for me. I need to do my best from here on out. Nyarlathotep isn't going to have his way. I won't let him.


	35. Short-lived Rest

"Hey dude. We're all going to the hot springs at the Amagi Inn today! Wanna come?" Junpei asked. He had called my phone early in the morning, forcing me to wake up Aigis and Metis to get them to stop cuddling with me and to pick the phone up. I was a little bit irritated at him for waking me up, but the invitation to the hot springs was something that made me less annoyed.

"Sure thing." I said. "I'll bring Aigis and Metis along with me, too." I said.

You see, I had a plan. A plan that would be a much smarter move than what Junpei and Ryoji did last year. This plan was so devious, there was no way that it could fail. I wouldn't let it.

* * *

Everyone was sitting down at the inn. We all got our rooms ready and everything. It was nice of Yukiko to treat us to this after all that we've been through. She had figured that we needed something to relieve our nerves from the case, and so she decided on hot springs. I had to agree, they were a very good way to relieve stress. The room that we were sitting in was pretty large. It had a nice looking mat with a dragon design on it while the walls were bright red, like a shrine would be. There was a large table in the center of the room that also had the same dragon design on it. I was sitting around it with the guys. We were discussing things like how we would get into the hot springs while the girls didn't notice us. It was going to be genius. I had my foolproof plan that was set up, and I wasn't going to fail.

And my plan was going to do a lot more for that. I waited it out until the girls left to go get ready for the hot springs, and then I got up.

"Alright. I've got a plan." I said.

"You're not going to try and sneak into the hot springs again, right? You remember what happened last time, right?" Akihiko asked.

"Calm down, I've got this covered. Take one good look at me, and what do you see?" I asked.

"An effeminate man." Shinjiro said. "If you don't mind me saying."

"No, that's what I wanted you to say!" I said. "If I didn't have the male genitalia then I would make the perfect girl!"

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" Yosuke asked. "You're a goddamned genius."

"I know, I know. I even got a wig and contacts to keep them from recognizing me easily. Does anyone want to help me set up?" I asked.

"I'll do it. I'm your bro." Junpei said. "I won't fuck this up for you. You'd better tell us everything if you don't get caught."

"Alright. Let's commence Operation Sneak and Peek!" I announced, but not too loudly so the girls didn't hear us. Junpei led me to the room that we were sharing together, since the boys and the girls were strictly separated. They do things here old fashioned style.

"Alright... let's get started. I'm gonna make you the hottest chick I know, Minato." Junpei said.

"If you said that in any other situation, I'd be kicking your ass." I said.

"I don't doubt it." Junpei shook his head. He got to work immediately.

* * *

"All done. Dude... I know you'd rather not hear this from me, but I'd take you out on a date." Junpei said.

"That's damn right." I said, turning to the mirror that he had set up so that he could look at me while he worked on my appearance. This was foolproof. I was going to succeed in this operation. Operation Babe Hunt was a total bust, so I'm getting myself some revenge for our failure at the hands of the cruel women on Yakushima. This time I would succeed. In... something.

I looked in the mirror. The person looking back at me was someone that even I could mistake for a girl. And that person was me! My long brown wig was in a ponytail with a hair clip on the side that had the roman numeral for "The World" Arcana that I was now. It would be weird if I had one that has the number zero, which was my past Arcana, "The Fool". I used contacts to make my grey eyes become red. Junpei had found the nearest thing that he could find that looked like a ball and stuffed that into the bra that I put on to even further disguise myself. He had used some make-up that he had snuck into the girls' room to find to make my skin paler than it usually was. I was glad that I wasn't too muscular, which would instantly reveal my identity. I could feel it. Now was the time.

"I'd fuck me. Would you fuck me?" I asked.

"Definitely..." Junpei said.

"Good." I responded with a devious smile. I am the greatest at these kinds of things. We went downstairs to the boys downstairs. They all had startled looks on their faces.

"Wh-wh-who's that...?" Akihiko asked, blushing. "Where did you find that girl? She's really cute."

"Damn... wait, isn't Yukari your girlfriend, Junpei?" Shinjiro asked. They were all infatuated with me! Yes! Everyone was blushing, even Shinjiro! Shinjiro of all people was blushing!

"Dude..." Yosuke said. "We should find a nurse outfit for her... that'd be nice..."

"No, maid outfit." Junpei said. "And this is no girl."

"No way! That's Minato!?" Akihiko looked absolutely startled.

"You do this for fun, don't you? That's how you're so good at that!" Yu accused.

"Nope." I said. "Well... I did kind of experiment with it to plan this."

"Shh! The girls are coming! Get ready, Makoto!" Junpei said.

"Makoto?" I asked.

"Yes, Makoto Yuuki, your girl name!" Junpei said, pushing me into the changing room. I quickly found a towel to use for the hot tub and walked out. The girls were all walking out, so I rushed in to join them.

"Dude... you even shaved all the hair off his body?" I heard Akihiko ask.

"You're looking at his legs?" Junpei asked. "Of course I did. No girl has leg hair. That's gross."

While they were bickering about my status as a "female", I headed into the hot spring with the girls.

"Oh, who are you?" Yukari turned around and asked me. I smiled at the girls and waved.

"Hi, my name is Makoto Yuuki." I said. "This is the girls' session, right?"

"Of course!" Yukari smiled. "You can join us if you want, Makoto."

"Oh, thank you!" I bowed. This was going all to my liking. I sat down in the hot spring with the other girls, and they started talking amongst one another.

The only thing that I really have to do is just keep my voice high pitched, it was that easy.

"Wow, Makoto, you look so pretty!" Rise commented.

"Thank you! You too!" I said. Being surrounded by two women almost every day allows you to understand what they're saying. And it also allows you to fully make yourself one.

This is heaven. I'm surrounded by women. This is amazing. And I'm sneaking peeks as well.

"Naoto, I never knew that you were a girl!" Chie said. "Your skin's so soft..."

"P-please stop!" Naoto said. It was obvious that she was still uncomfortable about talking about it.

"You guys are lucky that you can actually enjoy the hot springs..." Labrys frowned. "I'm a robot, so I can't feel anything from it."

"Oh, don't worry. Just you being here is enough." Mitsuru said.

Things were going so smoothly... that was it. It was over.

I won. Just as planned.

It was a grand sight. All the girls playing around with each other in the water of the hot spring. I had joined in too. Not even the robots guess that I was actually Minato and not "Makoto". It was the best thing ever, and I was just about ready to head in. The others left before me. When I got out I walked over to the boys.

"What was the result?" Junpei asked.

"Do you see any bullet holes?" I asked, turning around.

"Dude... tell me what they were doing!" Yosuke said.

"They were just talking and shit. Nothing too special." I said.

"What are you still doing with the guys, Makoto? Come on in!" Yukari waved over to me. Shit. This was not part of the plan. And this time I had no choice but to oblige.

"Well, aren't you going to go, Makoto-chan?" Junpei asked. "I could go in your place, you know!"

"Junpei, you know that I'm standing right here!" Yukari glared at Junpei. "Come on!" She pulled me by the arms and led me into the girls' changing room.

It was like heaven. I couldn't even describe it. So... this is what it was like stowing away in the girls' locker room back in school. I had never worked up the courage to do that, and even if I did Aigis would absolutely murder me without question. This was my chance.

No, right now I was in danger. This is unknown territory. I never planned this far into the mission. I hid behind a chair that I saw and changed my clothes into something that I could sleep in and keep my identity from them.

"So, Makoto, where are you from?" Yukiko asked.

"I'm from Inaba." I said. I would have to make some things up if I wanted to get out of here alive and prevent them from catching on. If they caught on, then it would be all over.

Oh no... what if I had to pretend I was a girl until I could finally get away from them at a safe distance and get back to my manly, sexy non-trap status? This is the worst possible outcome!

"Where do you live? We could come and visit you!" Yukiko said. Shit.

"I... I live near Junes." I said.

"You're pretty shy, aren't you?" Aigis asked.

"I guess so...?" I shrugged. "I'm so tired... I want to go to sleep."

"Your bed's right there." Aigis pointed to where my bed would be. "Hey, have any of you guys seen Minato? He was nowhere to be found... I'm really worried about him." My heart skipped a beat. I almost froze as I walked to the bed that they had laid out for me to sleep on. Coincidentally, it was right next to Aigis. It started to become hard to breathe. Everyone was silent.

"He's probably just sitting outside somewhere." Yukari said. "Let's just go to bed, and look for him tomorrow."

"Alright..." Aigis frowned. I felt kinda sad for her... She depends on me that much...? Now I feel bad for ever doing this...

We all went to sleep for the night. Before the other girls went to bed, they were talking about other things like small gossip about boys and things. I wasn't really interested, so I decided to go to sleep then.

* * *

I woke up in the girls' room, startling myself a little bit before remembering that I had posed as a girl to get a few sneak peeks at the girls in the hot spring. I held my head as I got up. No one was in the room. Not a single person at all. I quickly changed back into my normal attire, removing everything that made me that new identity that Junpei had made for me. I wonder how he came up with that name on the spot like that... Makoto Yuuki, huh? Not a bad name for a girl. I kept my sword at my hip as I walked out of the Amagi Inn. It felt really weird here though... like something was holding me down. It was a feeling that I only got when I was in the Dark Hour or the Midnight Channel.

When I walked out of the Amagi Inn I was out in front of the gates to a school. This was the school that the younger kids went to. I think it was called Yasogami High? Whatever. Tape covered the gates, saying something along the lines of "Do Not Enter" and "No Trespassing!". There was a picture of Teddie holding a cane, wearing a general's hat, and he also had a cigar in his mouth. I could see a little bit of a cape, too.

"What the hell's going on!?" I asked.

As if to answer my question, a television monitor dropped down from one of the walls of the school.

"Why, you've just found your way into the contest to see who's the manliest of all men!" It was Teddie's voice. Displayed on the screen was the Teddie that I saw in the poster that was on one of the gates.

"Can you explain a little bit more?" I asked.

"Well, why don't you watch this video and see!?" Teddie asked. The monitor blacked out.

"Rivals..." I heard an announcer say. "They are friends, yet powerful foes! The desperate fighting program amongst high school students!"

I stopped paying attention there. I walked up to the school gates and then kicked them down. If my guess was right, this "contest" was being held inside of the school. The gates were pretty easy to get rid off, too. The stupid add cut off and Teddie appeared on the television again.

"B-b-but don't you want to see what this is all about!?" The bear asked.

"No, I really don't. I wanna win and then get through this thing." I said.

"Alright, fine. I'll tell you the rules..." Teddie's voice took a dark turn. He even looked sinister. It was hard to take him seriously with that getup on, though. "You're going to be fighting anyone who you come across. You'll be on a set path... yours is different than all of the others. If you try to go astray, you will not be able to. I made sure of that. Whoever wins... gets to move on. The loser stays where he lost. Simple to follow rules, right? And now... let the P-1 Grand Prix finally begin!"

How the hell did I get myself into this...? All I wanted to do was fulfill just one of my perverted desires just once, and this happens!? How did we even get into the TV!?

Nyarlathotep!

And so... he finally makes his move... To be honest, I can't wait to see what kind of things that he could do! I ran into the school gates with anticipation. This was a fight to the finish! And the winner of this contest gets to fight Nyarlathotep! I'll devastate them all and face Nyarlathotep and put this all to an end!

I was pumped! I'm ready for anything! Hit me with your best shot, Nyarlathotep!


	36. The P-1 Grand Prix

As soon as I got inside, I had no idea where the hell I was going to go. There was nothing to mark my way, so I would have to find the way on my own. Let's see... trusting my instincts, I think maybe I should go to the left? Well, who cares. Now or never. I was going to be the first to Nyarlathotep. I was going to make sure of it.

I found myself in a room that had a piano and other different musical instruments. This was obviously the school's band room, although I don't recall any school looking the way it does. I guess the layout of the school had changed due to use being in the Midnight Channel.

I just had one question. Who was the victim for this? Normally Midnight Channels had a victim involved with them, right?

"Alright! You've made it to your first match! Congratulations!" Teddie congratulated. Maybe this Teddie was Nyarlathotep. I didn't really trust this one after the whole "deep, dark scary voice" thing that he did when he was explaining the rules of the game to me. I didn't mind though. He was here to tell me some things that I would need to know, right? I still was probably going to have to kick this guy's ass, whoever this impostor Teddie is, but for now, I'll take his help.

"Who's first on my rampage? Ooh, maybe it's some battle-hardened knight that has a giant sword!" I smiled. Please... I had to stop acting like this. I was acting like a child. This was a life or death situation here. I wonder who I was going to be fighting here... I mean... who else could I fight except for some random people that Nyarlathotep found on the streets?

Fog shot up from the floor and blinded my vision.

"And let round one begin!" Teddie yelled. The monitor that he had went up, back into the ceiling from where it came from. The fog had cleared, finally allowing me to see who I was going to be fighting for the first round.

"Damn... and here I thought I'd be able to go a few rounds before losing..." I heard the voice of Junpei say.

"J-Junpei!?" I asked. I couldn't believe my eyes. Junpei was standing there, holding his katana in his hands. He looked like he was ready for a fight, too.

"Yeah, so what?" Junpei asked. "It's me alright. I can tell that you're just about ready to go and fight Teddie at the final round, but here's the thing. I'm blocking you, you see? And you know the rules. I can't wait to beat you and finally be number one!"

"Oh, I get it..." I said. "You want to fight, huh? Well, bring it on, Junpei! I'll take you down!" If he thought he was going to be the one taking me down, then he had another thing coming to him. He was going to lose horribly. Junpei started out by trying to hit me with his katana, but I took out my sword and blocked the attack. He should know that he shouldn't come charging at me with a katana. He knows that I'm a master at that kind of fighting.

"I don't want to fight you Junpei... but if you really want to do this, then I won't hold back!" I yelled. This was unnatural. Me and Junpei were best friends! Why would he want to take me down?

"Trismegistus!" Junpei yelled. His Persona appeared before him and tried to charge at me. I dodged out of the way and summoned Messiah. He took the katana in his hands and slashed Trismegistus with it, making Junpei lurch over in pain. I followed up with a sword slash of my own directed at his Persona. I didn't want to hurt him. The way he was fighting, though... he wanted to hurt me. Something must be wrong for him to act like that. Was it Nyarlathotep's powers?

"Dude, you're pretty tough Minato, but you're not the only one!" Junpei yelled. Trismegistus started spinning around, making yellow streaks fly all over the place. I jumped out of the way as best as I could. One of them touched me and cut into the skin on my cheek. Messiah flicked his wrist and caused a severe gale of wind to blow into Junpei, knocking him to his feet. While Junpei was on the floor I made Messiah start charging up for an attack that was sure to at least knock him out. A ray of light shone down on the entire arena, and an eruption blasted out of the ray. Junpei was instantly swallowed by the radius of the blast, sending him flying once again.

"I never thought I'd be on the receiving end of that attack..." Junpei groaned. I put my sword away and dismissed Messiah. I ran over to him and dropped to my knees.

"Are you alright, Junpei!?" I asked.

"Oh, you're being nice again, now?" Junpei asked as he got up. "You know, that was some real dickish stuff you said earlier."

"What was I saying earlier? If I recall, you were the one doing the talking about wanting to become number one by defeating me." I said.

"Wait a second, let's stop and think here. This place must be in the TV... I knew that this couldn't be a dream. I had ran into that stupid bear Teddie and he said some weird things about a Grand Prix or something to figure out which one of us is the manliest of all men or something like that. Of course, it's me no contest. I'm super macho. But anyway... before this happened, I was split up from the entire group. It was while I was sleeping, too. I had a dream that I was going into the TV because someone was missing again, and bam, I end up here. I think this place has some kind of illusion where whoever you're fighting is meant to rile you up. I know that whatever I said and what you said to me is complete and utter bullshit, then. We're still bros till the end." Junpei said.

"Yeah. But you know the rules... you can't move on with me." I said. "So is everyone here... our friends?"

"Yeah, seems like it. I had just finished fighting with that Yosuke kid. He's got the same feelings that I had long ago..." Junpei said. "Anyway, you should go. I smell a ton of trouble."

"I agree. This can't mean anything good." I said, running along on the path that was laid out for me to go. I wondered who I was to face next, leaving Junpei behind.

I found myself in the hallways of the school again, even though I was sure that I passed this exact area some time ago before my bout with Junpei. I started walking along the path, getting a little tired from all the running.

Fog shot up from the ground in front of me. It was time for round 2. That fog made me think two things: who was I going to fight? And, is it going to be one of my friends?

"Well well well... Looks like you're the next one."

"Akihiko..." I looked down, a pained expression on my face. I didn't want to fight them! I wanted this whole thing to stop right now! I wasn't going to fight my friends for some kind of stupid game that Nyarlathotep has planned for us!

That's exactly what he wanted, wasn't it!? To make us all fight and kill ourselves so he didn't have to do it himself!

"What's wrong?" Akihiko asked, walking towards me. "Are you scared? That's pathetic. You're truly a despicable leader. I can't believe that you were leading me when you're scared to fight one of your friends. That's not fair to me or to anybody that you've led in the past years. How can you be a leader like that?"

"Let's just get this over with..." I said, drawing my sword.

"Showing some backbone, huh...? That's good. I like that. Give me everything that you've got, Minato!" Akihiko summoned Caesar and started to make an attempt to confuse me with his movements. He was a pro boxer, so I would have to be careful and attack from afar. That would be the only way to defeat him. Ranged attacks.

I jumped out of the way of an uppercut that was headed right towards me. I didn't even see him get that close to me! He was fast...! Just what was he doing those past two years that lets him move around like that with a body like that!?

I couldn't let that shake me, though. I would have to fight him and I would have to defeat him if I wanted to move on and end this madness. As Akihiko came in for another punch, I stepped to the side and barely dodged a corkscrew. While he was recovering from the sheer force that he put into the attack, I kicked him in the back.

Akihiko came back in again with a dash. I instantly went to block an uppercut, but the uppercut never came. Instead, Akihiko's arms were wrapped around me.

"Oh... shit..." I said. He was gonna do it. I braced myself for impact as Akihiko suplexed me. I was sent reeling from it. Akihiko had free reign over me now. It was finished. As soon as I let my guard down it was over.

"Wow, what a shame, what a shame... at least you did your best." Akihiko said. I found the strength in me to roll out of the way of a punch that would otherwise break my neck. I looked at the ground that he punched with widened eyes. I could see a visible dent in the floor. This was insane... I would never be able to defeat Akihiko like this... I would have to catch my breath, and take some time to think while dodging his blows.

I started to dodge a flurry of punches while thinking up of a tactic. I was thankful that I could at least keep up with Akihiko and easily dodge his moves because of my skinny body. I was fast, and he couldn't hit me as easily as he would want to.

Akihiko was fast... he was very, very fast. What's one thing that could slip him up and allow me some time to hit him with something.

Wait a second. Slip!

"Messiah!" I called. The coffins attached to Messiah's wrist opened up to litter the ground with icicles. Akihiko didn't see it coming as he fell onto some, slipping to the ground.

"...That was nothing...!" Akihiko panted. I was getting him weakened. By all that fast moving that he was doing he was wearing himself out. Now was my chance to attack.

"Do it again, Messiah!" I yelled. Messiah flicked his wrist and sent a large ice pillar flying up into the air, propelling Akihiko to the ceiling. It slammed him into it and shrunk back in the ground at the spot where the icicles had been. Akihiko came flying down. I didn't sense the hostility from him anymore. I had won the battle.

"Akihiko, are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah... I'm fine... that was some fancy moves you did out there..." Akihiko said, struggling to his feet. "Well... I'm sure that you know the rules, so you better go and get out there. I'll be fine here. I'll take on anyone who gets in my way."

"Alright." I said.

"Oh, and Minato... no hard feelings about what I said, okay?" Akihiko said. "I know that someone's tricking us into hearing things that we don't want to hear."

"I know. No hard feelings about what I said, either." I said. "I'll come back to find you when this is all over, okay?"

"Sure thing. You go on ahead. I'll be fine." Akihiko said, waving me off.

I turned to the left and found myself in another hallway. I wonder how many people I'll have to face... I know that they're all my friends. Damn Nyarlathotep!

"Minato-kun? What are you doing in school? Didn't you graduate a year ago?" I heard a familiar voice ask. How could I not recognize that accent? I turned around to see Labrys looking at me.

"Labrys...? Is that you? You look... different." I said. Labrys didn't look robotic at all. In fact, she looked perfectly human! It was just like that disguise that Aigis had that would make her a human... this is weird. When did she get the capability to do this? I'm pretty sure that only Aigis could do it because it was a 'gift from someone'. I didn't know who that someone was, but I had to thank him.

"Whaddya mean I look different? I'm the same as I've always been. Don't tell me you're takin part in this stupid tournament shit too?" Labrys asked.

"I had already started, so there's no backing out." I said. "But that doesn't explain what you're doing here. I guess since we've run across each other we have to fight..."

"What do you mean 'We have to fight'? I can't fight! That'd ruin my reputation!" Labrys yelled. "The student council president has to keep a nice figure!"

"The student council president? That makes no sense. You've graduated from school too!" I reminded.

"You're spoutin crazy talk, Minato-kun. I was a year behind you! I'm still a senior!" Labrys yelled. "If you're going to be causing trouble around here then I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the school!"

"What are you still doing standing there!? The next round awaits!" I heard Teddie's voice yell.

"Fine, then. I'll be going now, Labrys. See you later when I stop all this." I said.

"Okay fine. I'll see you later then, Minato-kun." Labrys said. She walked off as I started to run down the path some more.

I eventually found myself in one of the classrooms, labeled "2-F". Funny... that was my classroom back at Gekkoukan... I wondered who I'd be facing this time around, considering this place was in the style of an arena instead of a classroom. I was a little bit worried about who it was, too. Akihiko would have absolutely wrecked me if it wasn't for my quick thinking.

The infamous fog shot up from the ground and revealed my next opponent. Mitsuru Kirijo.

"There you are, Minato." Mitsuru asked.

"I guess it seems like it." I said. "So, do you have anything to say to me before we fight?"

"No, let's just get to the main event..." Mitsuru said, drawing her sword. "Draw your sword, Minato."

"I hate doing this..." I growled, drawing the sword that I fused at the antique shop. It was my trusty sword that I used for everything. Even slicing up tomatoes when I got lazy and didn't want to use a proper cutting utensil.

"Show me your resolve!" Mitsuru yelled, charging at me with her sword. I barely got out of the way for it to only rip a part of my clothes off. Those were some good clothes, too... A bit of blood ran out from the opened area. Looks like she got me a little bit. I would have to return the favor... but could I really hit a girl? Well, at least think of it this way, Minato. She hit you first.

I ran up to her and tried to slash upwards, but she moved my arm out of the way. I had gotten too close to her! She kicked me away from her and summoned Artemesia. I thought that this was going to be a sword fight! Cheater! Ice pillars started rising from the ground, in a path directed towards me. I summoned Messiah to once again flick his wrist and send a wave of fire towards the ice pillars. They all melted into water and evaporated on the spot.

"I won't hold back!" Mitsuru yelled. A myriad of icicles started to form and float around Artemesia. I knew what this was. I've seen this attack before, and it's actually quite similar to Thanatos and Messiah's ice attack. While they fired in a straight line, these homed in on me. I would have to think fast before I got pierced by them. By the way they were tilting, they were aiming for my chest. They were going to pierce my heart.

Messiah acted quickly. As the icicles fired at me a wall of flames shot up from the ground below, making them melt into water like the pillars that she used to attack me with.

"I knew you wouldn't be an easy opponent..." Mitsuru grunted. "That was impressive... but I'll fight to the bitter end!" The air around me started to get covered by a misty fog. It felt very cold, and I started to shiver a little bit. Suddenly, mirrors that were made out of ice appeared all around me, in a dome like fashion. What was this? Mitsuru had never used this attack before fighting anything at all!

In the mirrors, there were reflections of me at every angle that you could imagine. Was I in some sort of trap? What was Mitsuru doing? I walked up to one of the mirrors and touched it. It felt like any ordinary mirror, just a lot colder. It was like putting your hand on ice. I started to walk backwards, away from the mirror that I had just touched. I wanted to see what Mitsuru was planning, yet there was no way to see outside of this ice dome. What was she going to do?

I heard glass shatter, which could only mean that one of the mirrors that surrounded me broke. I looked up to where I heard the sound and found Mitsuru diving down towards me with her sword out. My eyes widened and I froze, but I quickly regained my bearings and rolled out of the way. Mitsuru disappeared as she hit the ground, dissolving into mist.

I didn't believe this... this was like something out of Aigis's ninja movies! I looked around some more. I spotted Mitsuru again in one of the mirrors. So... that was the trick! She would hide in a mirror and then come out of that mirror when my guard was down. Like I said... straight out of a ninja movie. She moved from mirror to mirror, with her eyes fixated on me. I heard something start to fall. Once again looking up, this time I saw a giant chunk of ice falling down. I ran out of the way of it, narrowly dodging.

I looked back to where Mitsuru was. She wasn't there anymore. She must have been moving from mirror to mirror and eluded me somehow. This wasn't going to be an easy battle, that was for sure. I had already expended enough power with the Morning Star that I used against Junpei, so that was out of the picture. I could only do one of those because it took so much energy to preform. I had to stick with the basic attacks for now until I could find something that would regain my energy, like the clock in the base floor of Tatarus, or come across a lucky Soma.

Once again an ice mirror shattered. Without looking, I stepped to the side and avoided Mitsuru's attack. She was trying to split me right down the middle. I started to think hard about what I could do. If Messiah had all the combined powers of Thanatos and Orpheus...

I had an idea. It was a pretty shitty idea, but it was an idea nonetheless. I called Messiah. My Persona drew it's katana and then started slicing and slashing everywhere. Rays of yellow light shot around the area, refracting off the mirrors, breaking them in the process. I heard Mitsuru scream as the mist dissipated. She was falling down from the highest one. I jumped over and caught her as she was just about to hit the floor. I set her down gently on the floor and crouched down in front of her.

"Are you okay, Mitsuru?" I asked.

"Y-yes... I'm fine." Mitsuru said. "Thank you, Minato." Good, she had her senses again.

"Have you found anything out that could help me out?" I asked. "I want to get to the bottom of this quickly."

"The only thing that I know is that you should be heading towards the announcement room. That's where I saw that fake Teddie broadcast his messages. I was heading there myself, only to find you in my way..." Mitsuru said.

"Did I... say anything to you?" I asked.

"Yes. You said something unsavory about my deceased father." Mitsuru said, looking to the floor gloomily.

"You know that I didn't mean anything that I said... that we're all under some kind of illusion, right?" I asked.

"Yes, I do know that. But that doesn't mean that those words didn't hit deep. Nevertheless, I guess I just have to get over it. I know how you feel yourself. Go ahead, move on. The next round awaits you." Mitsuru said. "It's a shame that I can't accompany you. There are invisible walls all over the place here, barring any of us from cooperating. The loser gets stuck in the room that they had been finished off in. I'm thankful that it's a classroom. I can keep myself occupied."

"Alright, I'll see you when this is over, Mitsuru." I said, leaving her in the classroom. It was time to head on into the next round.

"Well well well! You've made it past a lot of people on your way here! The announcement room isn't too far away, and you've got two matches left before you face me!" I heard Teddie's voice say. "I hope that you keep your winning streak up. It would be a shame if you didn't win. After all, who else could?"

"Yeah, just you wait, Teddie. I'm gonna get to the bottom of this and take you down!" I said, balling a fist and shaking it at the monitor that his snarky smile as plastered on.

"I do wonder if you'll be able to take me down..." Teddie asked, before turning off the monitor. I had to move on and act quickly. I had a bad feeling about all of this.


	37. The Final Round

I found myself outside after going through a pair of doors. It looked like I was at the entrance to the school, but that couldn't be right, could it? I mean, I just went inside from here, and didn't I have a set path to follow? Maybe this brought me out back here...? I couldn't tell. I had so many questions that I wanted to be answered right now that I couldn't think straight. All I wanted to do was defeat the two people that would be standing in my way and fight that fake Teddie.

"And now for your next round!" Teddie shouted. Fog once again covered the area. When it dissipated, I heard a hammer swing around, and land on something.

"Shinjiro?" I asked.

"Yeah, looks like it." He said. "So, you're my next opponent, huh? Don't worry, I'll make this one quick." He walked towards me and rose his hammer. "Ready to go to sleep, Minato?"

"Like hell I'm going to lose here...!" I yelled, rolling out of the way of his hammer. As I got up I kicked him in the back, sending Shinjiro flying away from me. As much as I don't want to fight any more of my friends and would rather fight the Investigation Team, I wasn't going to easily give in to them and just quit. Quitting is for losers and cowards, and I was neither of those.

"Fine, if you want to go the hard way, then we'll go the hard way." Shinjiro said, turning around and getting up off his feet. He put his hammer away and looked at me with the intent to kill. He was going to fight me with his fists.

They say that the best way to get to know someone is by fighting them. I wonder if the same goes for Shinjiro. I wonder what kind of things I can find out from his fists... He barely ever talks anyway.

"Let's go, Shinjiro!" I said. I dodged my way through various kinds of punches and punched him right in the stomach. Shinjiro staggered for a little bit before he returned to his stance and swiped me off my feet with a kick. I rolled out of the way of a punch sent for my stomach and got back up.

What was his next move going to be? Shinjiro was hard to read. Normally I can predict what my opponents are going to do, and even the next thing that they're going to say. Sometimes I do that to make sure that I can still read them, like I did when I punched out Kanji before he had joined our cause. The other members of the Investigation Team... I also wondered what they were doing.

I sent a punch towards Shinjiro's shoulder, but as anticipated, he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. I had done the same trick before. Pull them right into a lariat and knock them out. I ducked my head to avoid his outstretched arm and headbutted him right in the chest. He was the one being sent off balance this time. I backed away from him before he turned the tables on me.

It was most likely that the other members, those kids, were defeated by the past members of SEES. I guess they were in the middle of the tournament before I got here, because all the people that I've been facing are SEES members. I could tell that Mitsuru could have knocked someone out with that ice dome attack of hers. She looked like she was using it well.

Shinjiro got up and started walking towards me. I didn't trust him. I circled around Shinjiro and tried to grab him but he used his leg to kick my knee. I bent down from the attack and Shinjiro turned around and quickly grabbed me before I could do anything. Was I going to get suplexed again like Akihiko did to me? I hoped that wasn't the case, because that shit really hurts.

Shinjiro lifted me into the air and threw me. I hit the ground hard and even felt some of my bones crack. Well, at least he loosened up my back from the suplex that Akihiko delivered to me.

"Tch... I'm surprised that you can still get up after that." Shinjiro said. "But you were always a knucklehead..."

"Gonna quit?" I taunted.

"Quit? I think that's what you're going to be doing, Minato." Shinjiro said. He started running right to me with speed unlike anything that I've seen before. It was inhuman for that guy to run as fast as he did. He's friggin huge! How is he going to run like that!? Shinjiro pulled his arm back and punched me right in the cheek. I had punched him in the same spot, too.

We both fell to the floor, with a massive pain in the cheek. I could tell that I had done some damage to him, he was rubbing his cheek too.

"Alright, that's it..." Shinjiro said. "I admit defeat."

"Shinjiro... are you alright?" I asked. I had actually defeated Shinjiro Aragaki of all people in a fist fight. I felt a little bit proud of myself, but now wasn't the time for self gratification. I had to move on. But first...

"Is there anything that you know about this? I need some information before I head on. Next up is the announcement room, right?"

"Alright kid. Sit down and listen good, I'm only going to say this once. Since we're in the Midnight Channel if you couldn't tell already... there has got to be a victim right? You saw Labrys walking around earlier before, I guess? Did you notice how she looked human? A lot like Aigis when she isn't fighting? Well... I know who that fake bear is up on the monitor. That's Labrys's Shadow. I had a run-in with mine just a while back... But still, Labrys's Shadow is behind this whole tournament shit. It has the power to make people see things that really aren't there. In other words, it makes us think that we're talking shit to each other, when in reality, we're not. We get agitated by each other, and we fight for no reason whatsoever. That's why I attacked you. When we enter the ring, the illusions kick in. It's normal everywhere else. This school is laid out in an odd way because of her Shadow. The announcement room is directly connected to the entrance of the TV. That's where you need to get going to. I'm sure that the final round awaits you there. Good luck, Minato." Shinjiro explained.

"Yeah. Just stay there. I'll put an end to all of this." I said.

"Minato!" Shinjiro yelled as I was beginning to move on.

"What?" I asked, turning around.

"I believe in you. We all do. You better take Shadow Labrys down." Shinjiro said. I smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up.

"Don't worry. I never break a promise." I said, running back into the school.

* * *

I quickly found my way to the announcement room. The door was just within my grasp. I reached out to it.

A gunshot made me pull my hand away as fast as I could.

"Did you forget about the final round...?" Teddie, Shadow Labrys, asked.

"Shadow Labrys..." I said. "What are you doing!? Why are you doing this!?"

"No one understands how I feel. So I'm going to make them. This fight... you will understand how I feel with this fight. There are no ring outs, no knock outs, and nothing other than one simple thing." Shadow Labrys said. I slowly turned around. I almost cried out in fury at my last opponent.

A beautiful face with shining blue eyes, and blonde hair that fell to her shoulders.

Aigis.

This was the final round.

I had to fight Aigis.

"After you win... the loser dies." Shadow Labrys said.

"...I'm not going to fight." I stated.

"You what?" Shadow Labrys yelled. "You quit!? I'm sorry, but there's no such thing as quitting here! Not when you're this far! You have to fully experience what I went through to fully understand how I felt! You're going to kill my sister, and you're going to like it!"

"...I understand completely what you went through." I said. "I know what you're feeling right now."

"That's a load of bullshit and you know it! No one can understand me!" Shadow Labrys yelled. "So I'll force you all to understand me!"

"What's wrong... Mina-chan...? Can't you fight me?" Aigis started speaking. I didn't want to hear what she had to say. No... I was not going to hear what she was going to say.

"I'm not going to fight you." I said. "You can take my life. You have the same powers as me. You'll be able to do it. Just go. Go and kill me."

"I understand..." Aigis said, walking up to me. She cupped my face in her hands. "I know... I know..."

I wanted her to shut up. That mocking voice... that mocking voice that was so similar to her Shadow's... now I know why I hated it. My childhood nightmares of her killing me, too... at that bridge where Ryoji attacked. She had said those exact words to me every time in that nightmare... I couldn't stand them.

"You're scared. You don't want to fight me because you know... you know that either one of us is going to die. You're scared that you're going to win, so you want to lose. Shh... don't cry..." Aigis wiped a few tears that were coming out of my eyes. "I'll make it all better... Don't worry... I know that you're scared of losing anyone that's important to you. Don't worry... I'll make it all better... like I always did back then..."

"Shut up..." I growled.

"You're scared, Minato... don't let that get to you. I'll take care of you. You don't have to be scared of losing me... you don't have to be scared of losing anyone... I'm sorry... I know our lives were spent right next to one another, but yours is going to end here." Aigis said.

"Shut... up..." I said again.

"What's wrong...? I thought that you were going to just sit there and let me kill you?" Aigis asked.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" I punched her. I actually punched her. As I looked at her body hit the floor, I looked at my hand with a chocked expression on my face.

"Do you understand yet...? The feeling of hitting your best friend...? The feeling of destroying that friendship with just one action?" Labrys's Shadow asked. She was spectating this match.

"That's good..." Aigis said, getting up. "So you're not the spineless wimp that I thought you were. You're always so scared of angering me. You're always so scared of making me sad, of doing anything that would cause any sort of harm to me or our bond. You're always so afraid of it because you're so afraid of losing bonds. The bonds that you make, you cherish. You're attached to them, because they make you forget about your true worst nightmare. Solitude. You're afraid of being alone. That's why you're so dependent on me, and everyone else. Will you die and be free of your anguish? Or will you stand up and live...? Give me your answer, Minato!"

I stayed silent, glaring at her as she rose up from the ground.

"I SAID GIVE ME YOUR ANSWER!" Aigis yelled again, punching a hole in the wall, just a little bit next to my head.

"Go ahead, Minato! We're both waiting to see what you'll do!" Shadow Labrys laughed.

I got up from the floor. "I'll tell you one thing. As soon as I'm done with you... You're next! Labrys!"

"You'll kill the one that you love just to defeat me!?" Shadow Labrys asked.

"No! I'm not going to kill Aigis... I'm going to save her from you! I'll knock her senseless so that your control over her is gone!" I said.

"Alright... then... begin the final round!" Shadow Labrys yelled. I couldn't sense her presence anymore.

Aigis stared at me, and I stared back. I was waiting for her to make a move, and the same went for her. I was still shocked. If I had known that she was going to be my last opponent, then I surely would have saved that Morning Star that I used against Junpei for now.

Since neither of us were going to make the first attack, I would go first. I drew my sword, not having to worry about holding back.

"I'll never forgive you if you hold back on me now." I said. "Let's dance!"

"What a wonderful date..." Aigis smiled. I swung my sword and hit her right in the side. Just like the last time that I tried something like that, it didn't work.

"Superficial." Aigis stated. I followed up by grabbing her by the neck and slamming her against the door to the announcement room. I wasn't proud of it, but I would have to fight dirty if I wanted to defeat her. This was truly a battle of Man vs. Machine.

"Minato!" I heard Mitsuru's voice yell. "We're all here for you!"

"We can't help you win, but we can at least encourage you on!" Junpei added. Everyone... they were here to help, as best as they could. I started beating Aigis across the face. She took every one of the punches with a confident smirk on her face.

"I'm surprised that you can even fight me." Aigis said. "You tried your sword to see if it would work, and now you're using your fists against me."

"Yeah, so?" I asked. I let Aigis drop to the floor.

"But still... I'm a machine. I'm designed to take those kinds of attacks. You, however... are not." I just noticed that her cannon was coming out of her back. Why didn't I notice that sooner!? Shit! I was in some serious trouble if that hit me. I ran out of the way of it's blast radius. Through the smoke of the blast Aigis came jetting out with her boosters and knocked me to the floor. I kicked her off of me as soon as she got ontop. Aigis came back with her hand out, spinning it like a drill. That would tear me apart if I got it by it! I ducked underneath of her and called Messiah. He shot icicles at her with his coffins. She weaved through them and once again came at me with her drill. I leaned to the side for her to narrowly miss my stomach. Another part of my clothes ripped off from it. I had just gotten these, too. That really sucked.

I called up a wall of fire to chase after her, but Athena appeared and held up her shield. Damn... I should have expected that projectiles didn't work. Through the fire Athena charged at me with her shield up. It was too big to dodge, so I would have to endure the blow. Athena carried me all the way into the wall and was still driving me into it. If this kept up, then I would be carried right outside of the school. And like Shadow Labrys said... there were no ring outs. This battle could go anywhere and it would still be a fight to the death. But I wasn't going to kill Aigis.

Aigis called off Athena and released me from the pain that she was putting me through by smashing me against the wall like that. She spread her arms wide, and her miniguns dropped down from them. Oh shit. She started firing them at me. Messiah threw up a gigantic gust of wind, blowing them away from me and towards her.

"I knew that you weren't going to be easy... but I never suspected that you could get rid of my bullets that easily." Aigis said. "But... aren't you scared? You're fighting me, and I have the power to end your life anytime that I want. No man can survive a few well placed bullets, and when you're a machine, you can fire them at just the right time to make sure that they hit."

"I already told you and Labrys's Shadow. I'm not going to give up that easily. I'm going to beat you down!" I yelled. Messiah rose his hand up into the air and then punched the ground. A giant golden hand started to come down from the air above Aigis. She was crushed under it with no way to escape, much like how she used Athena to do the same to me. The fist disappeared and Aigis was free again.

"I guess that means that I have full permission to not hold back myself." Aigis said, laughing as she got up.

"Watch out Minato! She's going to use-!" Yukari tried to warn.

"Orgia Mode!" Aigis yelled. So... when she was repaired the guys who repaired her let her use Orgia Mode easily again. She told me she lost it when she became a wild card like me! Oh well, it was not the time to whine and complain now... Aigis was going to absolutely wreck me if I didn't act fast.

Aigis jumped into the air and curled up into a ball. Some hatches that were in her back opened up and dropped grenades from the sky. As they hit the ground they started to explode, and Aigis was using her boosters to close the big gap between us easily. I would have to get out of the way fast. As Aigis drew near, I jumped towards her and started to run, getting away from the grenades. She eventually ran out of grenades to use and dropped to the floor, but then she got out her missile launchers and started firing. Thinking fast I used Messiah to make a wall of fire shoot up behind her. Since her missiles were heat-seeking, the sheer heat of the flames made them fall back into Aigis, blowing them up along with her. I jumped towards Aigis to attack, but through the smoke she grabbed me by the shirt collar and started punching me in the face. After a few hits, she threw me away to the ground and walked over to me. I rolled out of the way of a punch and got up quickly. I pushed her away and backed up. I would have to keep a strict balance of ranged and close combat. I would have to ignore the pain that was coursing through my body from all the fights that I had before and this fight now. I could hear Shadow Labrys laughing from the command room. I hoped that she was getting a kick out of that, because I was coming for her next.

From all the dodging that I was doing I had worked up a strategy. Since she was in Orgia Mode, she had to overheat, right? And when she overheated, that would be the time that I would go in and strike. If I could land a hit on her while she was vulnerable like that, then it would be easy to win. I knew exactly where to hit, too.

The back of her neck. Where her most sensitive spot was located: her Papillon Heart. That was the source of her power, and if I could do enough damage to it, then she would instantly go offline. As much as I regretted having to do that, I would have to do it.

"Minato! Here she comes!" Junpei yelled. "What the hell!? She's on fire!"

He was right. Aigis had somehow set herself on fire and was charging at me with pure rage in her eyes. This was so unlike her... but like Shinjiro had said, she was being controlled by Shadow Labrys like everyone else that I had fought up until this point.

I used Messiah's help to have him throw up up into the air, above Aigis. He disappeared and reappeared behind me and set me down on the ground with no harm done. Aigis turned around and tried it again, but the same thing happened. Once again I was set down on the ground. Aigis took out her miniguns again and then started to fire. She wasn't aiming very properly. That might be because she was absolutely seething with rage at how I was dodging most of her attacks. Hey, she was dodging most of mine, so she shouldn't really complain. I made my way through her shots, not dodging the bullets, but rather dodging the miniguns themselves. Akihiko had taught that strategy before we had fought Takaya.

"No! I can't overheat now!" Aigis yelled. Now was my chance. It was time to end this. We both knew that one blow would knock each other out. If I landed a hit on her, she would lose, and the same went for me. Now was the time to finish this battle... and stop this madness! Aigis couldn't move. She watched in horror as I drew my sword. Sure, it couldn't CUT through her armor, but it could PIERCE through it! I rose my blade up in the air, and brought it down right on her neck.

"He did it!" Junpei jumped in the air.

"Amazing..." Fuuka said.

"He just..." Mitsuru smiled.

I fell down from all the strain that I was putting my body through just to survive this fight. Aigis fell, her head hitting my lap on the way down. I felt the control of Labrys's Shadow fade away from her. She was herself again.

"Minato...?" She asked, looking at me. I had delivered a severe blow to her. She was incredibly weakened from the attack. She would live just fine, though. For that I was glad.

"Yeah, Aigis...?" I asked.

"I can't believe that you actually did that..." Aigis said. "You actually beat me..."

"Aigis... I know that what I just did right now is pretty bad, but can you please not act like you're dying?" I asked. I didn't want to see her in such a state.

"Minato... you're still holding on... after all this time, aren't you?" Aigis asked. "I'm so glad that you're not under Shadow Labrys's control anymore. We both fell victim to her illusions. You said some nasty things to me, Minato..."

"You said some things to me that I didn't like too much either." I said. "But I guess that even though we were under an illusion from Shadow Labrys... we needed to hear each other say what we had to say."

"You're right. I guess I can't keep on thinking that it's impossible to understand me, when you do that just fine." Aigis said.

"And I guess that I have to learn that I can't keep on holding on to things like a child holds on to his new toy." I smiled at her.

"You don't know how badly I'm going to kick your ass for this." Aigis said. "How dare you hit a girl! Let alone your girlfriend!"

"Yukari, can't you heal Aigis?" I asked. "We're going to need her for the fight that's coming up soon."

"...Yeah." Yukari said, walking up to Aigis and summoning Isis. Aigis started to look a lot better than she did when she was on my lap. As Yukari finished, Aigis stood up.

"It's time." She said.

"If we beat Shadow Labrys, does that mean that we're going to have to fight Nyarlathotep, too?" Akihiko asked.

"No. He's gone. I can't feel his presence anymore." Aigis said.

"Wait a second, where's your Shadow?" Junpei asked. Aigis's face fell.

"Aigis... did you have to..." Mitsuru asked.

"Yeah. Shadow Labrys took over her, too. She wouldn't let go of her... I had to accept her again. She said some hurtful things, too." Aigis said.

"So she's back in that "Sea of Souls" place that she was talking about, isn't she?" Junpei asked.

"Yeah. But I don't think she's coming back out this time. She was happy with what she saw. I think I gave her some faith in the humanity that she was trying to destroy. She's gone now. Back in my mind. It's all crystal clear now." Aigis said.

"Then... let's get moving." Shinjiro said. "We've got a tournament to stop."

"Right." I said. I kicked down the door to the announcement room, which had a dent that was the size of Aigis's head in it. "Alright, Shadow Labrys! We're here for you!"

In the announcement room, Shadow Labrys was sitting down on one of the chairs. Labrys was curled up in a ball in the corner of the room. Shadow Labrys was still using Teddie's looks.

"You've finally made it!" Shadow Labrys smiled. "Now then... welcome to the title bout!"

The air around us got heavy. It was JUST like the Dark Hour's rather than the Midnight Channel's. A black sludge shot from Teddie's body, sending his head off of him. The sludge hit the ground and started to twinkle with a blue light. Inside of that blue light was the body of Labrys. The one that we were used to. Her robotic form. It's eyes opened, revealing the signature golden eyes of a Shadow that every one of them had. From her back shot a pole. Shadow Labrys grabbed it and it transformed into the axe that we were so familiar with. She started laughing with a sinister smile on her face. It was time to end this whole tournament thing once and for all and get back to our regularly scheduled Nyarlathotep investigation. I looked at everyone, and they all nodded back at me.


	38. The Raging Bull of Carnage

Labrys's Shadow was staring at Labrys, who was in the corner curled up in a ball. What was going on with Labrys? Normally she wasn't like this. She was all rough and tough, kind of like Kanji.

"Hey you, get up!" Shadow Labrys walked over to Labrys and picked her up from the ground by her hair. Labrys was crying. And no doubt was seeing her Shadow doing her any better.

"What... What are you!?" Labrys panicked. She tried to get out of her Shadow's grasp, but her Shadow was too strong. It looked painful to be staring at her Shadow right in the face like that and for it to be pulling on your hair. I could understand the pain that Labrys was going through right now, both emotionally and physically.

"Isn't it obvious? You've seen all of their Shadows but you don't know your own when you see it? Have you forgotten about me? Or did you think that robots can't get Shadows?" Shadow Labrys asked.

"I'm... I'm not a robot!" Labrys yelled. Was she going delusional? Of course she was a robot! I opened my mouth, but Aigis put her hand over it immediately.

"Don't you even say a word." She warned. "I think I know what's going on with her Shadow and her... don't tell her that she's a robot. I think it's her Shadow's job to tell her that."

She made a good point. Was this what Labrys was going through right now? She didn't like the fact that she was a robot?

I remembered Aigis had talked to me about her starting to question the emotions that she gained when she had recovered from when Metis kicked all of our asses two years ago. Why was I still calling her Metis? I guess I was still attached to her even though she was just Aigis's Shadow. I couldn't dwell on her now, she was gone.

Maybe this was those questions resurfacing.

"You don't think that you're a robot? Here... why don't I show you?" Shadow Labrys asked. She waved her hand towards Labrys, making her body return to it's normal, original form. Labrys looked at it shocked. Why wasn't she acknowledging that she was a robot? Maybe this TV world was her idea of getting away from it, so she repressed that memory of her being a robot. That's why she had looked human, and she was saying that she was the student council president, and that was why she was trying to stop the tournament! Maybe somewhere deep inside, she knew that her Shadow was the cause of all this and she didn't want to accept it.

"No... This isn't what I really look like!" Labrys yelled.

"Oh, stop lying to yourself!" Shadow Labrys exclaimed with annoyance in her voice. "You know you're a robot! But... being a robot, could you really be understood?"

"Wh-What...?" Labrys asked. Shadow Labrys dropped Labrys to the ground and walked back towards her seat at the announcement room. She span the chair around and put her one leg over the other, resting her head on her hand.

"All you really want is to be understood, right? I decided that I was going to help you out. I set up this tournament for you so that your friends would finally understand how you feel. The feeling of all the pain that you went through all those years ago, when you were first created. If they were forced to fight each other, then they would surely understand how you felt! That's why the P-1 Grand Prix was born! To FORCE your friends to understand how you felt! And hey, I threw in those Investigation Team members too! Even though you only really like that Yosuke kid. But why did you like that Yosuke kid? The only thing that you saw in him was escaping from something. Do you want to know what that something is?" Shadow Labrys got up from her chair and walked towards Aigis. I glared at her. What was she going to do?

"No... don't! Please don't!" It seemed like Labrys was snapping out of the trance that she was in. Shadow Labrys grabbed Aigis's face and... kissed her on the lips...

"Wh-What!?" Came Aigis's muffled yell. She pushed Shadow Labrys away from her and hid behind me. I glared at Shadow Labrys even more intensely than I had been already.

"Those were the feelings that you were experiencing two years ago, right? But you knew that you could never tell her because she was already hopelessly in love with someone, and she would never feel the same way that you felt. You had tried to tell her, but you just couldn't work up the courage. Not when you knew that you might have died while fighting Nyx. And to be honest, you hate Minato because he has Aigis, right? You're jealous of him. You fell in love with your own sister! Do you know what that means!?" Shadow Labrys started laughing.

"Shut up!" Labrys yelled. "S-Stop talking!"

"But you could never get to tell her, because you wouldn't be understood! You will never be fully understood, and that just tears you away inside. You're jealous of Aigis because she has a human form that she can use daily... she can be a real girl if she wants to be! You... you're stuck like that. You're stuck like a robot, like a monster, just because you were made that way. And when you were there, at that lab, you were treated like shit. You had to kill every single other model in your Generation. Just because they wanted you to. Just because they wanted to test your skills! But... no one would ever understand what you went through... because they didn't know what it was like to kill their best friend. The best friend that you loved!" Shadow Labrys yelled. "Aigis reminded you of that girl that was with you- us- at all times. That's why you fell in love with her. You were looking for a replacement of that girl. Did that girl even have a name? No. She was a malfunctioned robot that wasn't meant to fight. It wasn't meant to kill. So they were about to throw her in the trash. They had an idea, though. They said: "Why not let Labrys fight her and kill her for us!? Surely she would do good against her!". They disgust you, and that's why you escaped. You hate those scientists."

"Stop... please... stop talking!" Labrys crouched down to the ground and clutched her head, shaking it as well.

"Stop!" Yukari yelled. "Don't you see what you're doing to her!?"

"Yes! I know what I'm doing to her!" Shadow Labrys turned back to Labrys. "Did you enjoy the final round? I had recreated an experience that you had... just to make them all understand you. I knew what you were feeling as you were watching. You wanted Aigis to win. You wanted her to kill Minato, because you were jealous of him, and you wanted Aigis all to yourself. Aren't you a selfish little whore!?"

"That's enough!" I yelled. I ran over to the Shadow and tried to punch it to shut it up, but it flung me away with just one arm. Aigis caught me before I could go very far, and set me down on the ground.

Labrys started to go unresponsive. She wouldn't move, she wouldn't speak. She even stopped crying. She just shut her eyes, and fell to the ground.

"Get her!" Akihiko yelled.

"No! You're not going to go anywhere! I still need her! I'm not going to let you take her away from me!" Shadow Labrys yelled. She grabbed Labrys and took off, breaking out of the announcement room. I tried to follow her, but as I reached the exit, I hit what had to be an invisible wall.

"Shit! The tournament's still going on!" Shinjiro swore. "How are we going to get to her Shadow now? At this rate... if she gets Labrys to say those magic words, then we're all done for! Who knows what that thing can transform into?"

"If the tournament is still on, then what does that mean? Minato defeated Aigis in the final round, right?" Junpei asked.

"The other kids!" I said. "Did you hear what her Shadow was saying? The other kids are in here too! Some of them must still be fighting..."

"Then if we have to wait for them, does that mean that Shadow Labrys is going to have Labrys reject her?" Akihiko asked.

"Get out of the way of the wall!" I heard a voice yell. A ray of red thunder shot through the wall, blasting the bricks out of the way.

"What the hell!?" I asked, startled by the sudden explosion. The thunder cleared as well as the smoke to reveal someone in a black suit, with a red tie. She pushed his hair back and holstered the evoker in his hand.

"Private Adachi!" Mitsuru exclaimed. "What are you doing here!? Shouldn't you be out gathering intel?"

"I heard about what happened, and I just couldn't stay here and watch you guys fight each other. I have a Persona, you know! I can be useful!" Adachi said, walking towards us. "This place is free from those weird barriers that that girl's Shadow is putting up. I think I have an idea as to where she went. She's going to the roof of the school."

"You want to join in with us?" Shinjiro asked. "Sure. Just make sure you don't slow us down."

"Alright. I'll prove to you that I can be useful for other things than gathering information from the cops." Adachi said. We followed him all the way up to the roof. We ran past tons of Shadows that we could wipe out in one hit. It seemed like Shadow Labrys was hellbent on trying to stop us from getting up to the roof with her.

On the door to the roof, there was a note.

"What's that say?" Akihiko asked, taking it off the door and reading it aloud. "Only Minato can enter this room. Send him and only him in." He turned to me. "I think she wants you, Minato."

"I can tell..." I said. "Alright, let me in." I pushed open the door and closed it, even locking it to make sure that they wouldn't come up to fight along with me. I guess Shadow Labrys wanted to do this on her own.

I didn't find Labrys's Shadow here, but rather Labrys herself. She was sitting down on the ground, curled into a ball.

"Labrys...?" I asked, reaching out to her.

"What's up, Minato-kun...? Aren't you here for the tournament?" Labrys asked. She looked... empty inside. Like there was no emotion in her at all. It creeped me out. A lot.

"It's... over. I won." I said.

"I knew that you would win. Deep down, I knew you would. Congratulations, I guess." Labrys said.

"Labrys... look... I know what you're going through..." I said.

"Do you?" Labrys asked. "Do you really understand how I feel...? Then... what do I feel!?" Labrys shouted. "You can't answer, can you? Do you know how I feel, Minato!?"

"N-No..." I admitted.

"Then you don't understand anything about me." Labrys said. "You're trying to take me back."

"Everyone misses you." I said.

"TO HELL WITH EVERYONE!" Labrys screamed. "They don't understand what I've been through! No one will ever understand!"

"Don't be selfish!" I yelled. Before I knew it, Labrys's axe came down right next to me, barely missing me. I stared at her wide eyed.

"Leave." She said. "Go away. I'm not going back. I'm going to stay here... and lead a normal life..."

"How are you going to lead a normal life in the television? If this is the world that you envisioned for yourself, then what kind of world is this? A world where you'll live in fear of the Shadows every day. I'll tell you what. If you come back with us, then you can go and live by yourself, wherever you want to go."

"That's a lie... you're lying to me..." Labrys said.

"Would I lie to the girl that I consider to be my sister?" I asked. "The one that I never had? I never had a family, Labrys. I was an only child, and my parents never gave me the time of day. I was lucky that they took me to the lab where I met Aigis. My parents never cared. No, I wasn't like them. I wasn't a "normal child" so they shunned me."

"Don't talk about Aigis..." Labrys said.

"What's wrong? Just because you have feelings for her doesn't mean that she hates you." I said.

"She does hate me! Didn't you see the face that she made when my Shadow kissed her!? She was disgusted!" Labrys yelled again.

"You don't know how to read facial expressions well, then. Because that's the same exact face that she made when I did the same thing to her." I said. "It's one of surprise. She was surprised by it. She ran behind me because of the fact that your SHADOW did it, not you yourself." I said.

"Just shut up!" Labrys yelled. "If you're not going to go out on your own, then I'm going to force you out!" The axe came down near me once again, but it was aimed for my head. I held my sword up and blocked the axe. I guided it away from me.

"Minato!" I heard Aigis yell from behind the door.

"Ai...Aigis!?" Labrys asked.

"Labrys, is that you!? Minato, open the door! Let me in!" Aigis yelled. I could hear the door start to shake. If I didn't let her in she would come in on her own. I went to the door while Labrys was still in shock from hearing Aigis's voice. I let Aigis in. She told everyone to wait outside and then walked towards Labrys.

"Labrys, please... listen to me. I know that you think that I hate you right now, but that's far from it. I was just surprised at you... surprised at the fact that you felt that way. I know that... I don't swing that way... and I already love Minato... but... I can still love you, not as a lover, but as a sister." Aigis said.

"Aigis... don't lie to me! You hate me!" Labrys yelled. "You have to!"

"Minato... find her Shadow with everyone else. I'll handle Labrys." Aigis said. "Labrys... please come back with us."

"Aigis, not you too! I thought that you would at least understand how I feel, being a robot! But I guess I was wrong... you've worn that human body for too long... you're not a robot anymore, you're a human! You'll never understand how I feel!" Labrys yelled. She tried to grab at Aigis with her chain knuckle, but failed as Aigis ducked under it and grabbed the chain. Labrys was pulled towards her detached fist and Aigis slugged her in the face just the same as I did to Aigis a little bit ago.

"Minato, go!" Aigis yelled. "I'll get Labrys back to her senses!"

"Be careful, Aigis. She's strong." I said.

"I'm the last Shadow Weapon ever made. I was designed to trump all others. If I can't take her down, then I lose my reputation as the best Shadow Weapon made. I'll make my sister regain her senses!" Aigis said. I nodded at her and ran back out the door.

"What's going on?" Akihiko asked.

"We're going to find her Shadow. Aigis is going to subdue Labrys." I said.

"Alright. Let's get moving then. She's probably back at that announcement room." Adachi said.

We all ran back to the announcement room as fast as we could. Along the way some huge Shadows stopped us. Each one of us stopped to fight the Shadow that appeared to stop us, leaving only me and Adachi left.

"You said that you can fight, right? I hope that you're ready for this." I said.

"I'm ready." Adachi said. We opened the doors to the announcement room, and found Shadow Labrys.

"You cheated. You were supposed to defeat Labrys before coming here." Shadow Labrys said.

"Aigis is handling that just fine. Once she defeats her, she's coming down here with everyone else to help fight you." I said.

"But that's not fair. I can't necessarily let you fight me." Shadow Labrys said. "You. Detective guy. You're new here. You're not supposed to be here, so I guess I'll at least let you slide. I heard you saying that you were confident in your fighting skills. Do you want to fight me and find out? Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'll just beat you within an inch of your life!"

"Adachi don't do it! It's a trick." I said. I tried to run for him, but I was encased in an invisible barrier, like a mime doing his box trick. Shadow Labrys moved me to a corner of the room using those barriers.

"It's alright, Minato. I want to do this. I'm tired of being called a failure." Adachi said. "Just sit back and watch. I'll defeat this Shadow and save all of you guys!"

"Ha ha ha ha! Try to stop me!" Shadow Labrys yelled. A gigantic black pool of darkness appeared behind her, and from that pool came a gigantic minotaur. It wasn't like the normal Minotaur Shadows... this was like her own Persona.

"Oh man... that's huge..." Adachi said. "But I can't chicken out of this now..."

So... what IS his Persona? I was wondering myself. The attack he used to destroy the wall was very similar to Yu's Ziodyne.

"Magatsu Izanagi!" Adachi yelled. An evil looking, demonic version of Yu's Izanagi appeared behind Adachi. Instead of grey and black, it was blood red and black. It had glaring yellow eyes. It looked menacing, but... I didn't sense any harm coming from the Persona. The Persona jumped up towards the Minotaur that was in the back of the room while Adachi went for Shadow Labrys himself. It was a pretty good tactic. Compared to the Minotaur, Magatsu Izanagi was the size of an ant, and the Persona feels what the user feels. Adachi shot a few rounds from his revolver at Shadow Labrys. She stood there with a cocky smirk on her face.

"Shit... I guess me attacking her is out. Then I guess we'll have to go with me using my Persona to hurt her." Adachi thought aloud. He called Magatsu Izanagi over. It's blade charged with red electricity. Magatsu Izanagi pulled it back and then swung it right at Shadow Labrys. I could see her flinch back in pain and the Minotaur disappeared back into the ground. I could still see the pool of darkness that was holding it up from wherever it was coming from.

"Adachi, get out of the way!" I yelled.

"What...?" Adachi asked. He looked down and saw the pool heading towards him. He ran out of the way just in time for the Minotaur's fist to miss him completely. Magatsu Izanagi threw a ball of electricity at Shadow Labrys. Adachi had found out that thunder was her weakness, just like Aigis. Magatsu Izanagi kept on throwing more thunder balls at it. Eventually, Shadow Labrys started to pull her axe back. It didn't look like anything was effecting her anymore. I saw the boosters that were on her axe start to light up.

"Adachi!" I yelled. I would at least give him some advice while he was fighting her. This was quite the thing to fight when you're new to it... Adachi saw what was happening immediately. Shadow Labrys's boosters took her right to him, and while she was closing in, while she couldn't change directions, Adachi ran out of the way. Shadow Labrys swung her axe, completely missing. It took her off guard a little bit, which Adachi used to throw some more thunder balls at her. While she was stunned, Adachi called Magatsu Izanagi over and jumped on top of him. The Persona took out it's sword and then started gliding across the floor, picking up electricity. It rose its blade up and then hit Labrys's Shadow. Even though the sword couldn't pierce her, the electricity was sent through her body.

Adachi had some pretty neat tactics of his to use. Maybe he was actually pretty skilled in battle... maybe he was just getting lucky shots. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I wasn't him, but through his motions I could read him somewhat. He was getting a little bit happy from all the attacks that he was landing, and he was also just smiling at the Shadow.

"You...! You're not an ordinary person, are you!?" Shadow Labrys yelled. "You... I know! You're with them, aren't you!? That's why you have a Persona and an evoker!"

"Yeah, so what? That doesn't mean that I'm not going to kick your ass!" Adachi said.

"Don't you mock me! I hate being mocked!" Shadow Labrys yelled. She once again tried to boost towards him and slash at him, but Adachi knew better. This time he ducked underneath the blow and used Magatsu Izanagi, who was behind Shadow Labrys, to throw a giant thunder ball at her. It slashed her a couple of times before Shadow Labrys turned around and tried to slash it. She seemed to forget Adachi was there, because she left herself open. Adachi got his gun out and then shot Shadow Labrys's head a few times. He knew it wouldn't work, but it only seemed to make her mad. When she turned around to hit Adachi, Magatsu Izanagi materialized from behind her and stuck its blade in the ground. It then charged at her, slashing her feet with the tip of its sword. Magatsu Izanagi then rose to blade from the ground with incredible strength and flung Shadow Labrys away. She got stuck into one of the walls.

"What the hell was that!?" Shadow Labrys yelled, getting up from the wall that she was lodged in. "I can't lose like this! I'm the strongest there is!" She dropped her axe on the ground and started to walk towards Adachi.

"You're going to get yours... yes... I'll make sure of it." Shadow Labrys smiled devilishly. The Minotaur popped up from the ground behind Adachi and grabbed him by both of his arms, pulling them apart, too. He made sure that he didn't rip Adachi's arms out, but I could tell that he was experiencing some major pain. Shadow Labrys's smile turned into a smirk.

"I've got you now... heh heh heh... there's no escape..." Shadow Labrys said.

"Adachi... I don't know what's going on, but don't look into her eyes!" I said. Shadow Labrys's eyes were glaring yellow. It was a trait that wasn't like the other Shadows that we faced.

"What do you mea-" Adachi froze. It was too late.

"That's right... you're under my illusions now..." Shadow Labrys said. "And now... in about three seconds, you will be feeling pain. Pain unlike any other that you've felt before."

She was right. Three seconds hung in silence, and then Adachi started to scream. It wasn't anything that I've seen before. This was completely new to me. If only I could see what kind of illusion that Shadow Labrys was putting Adachi through. Adachi started thrashing about in the Minotaur's grasp.

"Do you want to know what's happening to him, Minato-kun?" Shadow Labrys asked. She still referred to me like how Labrys did... Was that a sign that her Shadow didn't hate me as much as she said that she did?

"You're not going to put me through that, are you?" I asked. I didn't trust Labrys's Shadow with anything.

"Why would I do that to my own brother?" Labrys asked.

"You called me brother now. Why?" I asked.

"Because... earlier on you called my other self your sister... you said that you thought of her as the sister that you never had. So now, you're my brother." Labrys's Shadow said. "I know that you saw the Minotaur behind me. Well, that Minotaur is in it's full power when someone is under my illusions. It's crushing Adachi... unable to die, he's being put through everlasting pain."

"...That's horrible!" I yelled. I tried to struggle out of the barriers that were around me, but it was no use.

"There's nothing that you can do to get out of that. It's beyond your power. I am the controller of the barriers." Shadow Labrys said. "I thought that you would know better, Minato-kun."

I sat there in silence, watching Shadow Labrys sit down at her chair, watching Adachi with a look of pure ecstasy on her face.

"He put up a good fight, though. Almost got me." She said.

"You're a demon..." I said.

"Aw... why would you say that about your sister?" Shadow Labrys asked.

Yet another hole was burst through the wall of the announcement room.

"STILL THE BEST!" I heard Aigis yell. She ran into the room with Labrys over her shoulder and put her down. She kicked Shadow Labrys right in the face, making the Minotaur drop Adachi, and that also made him come back to his senses.

"What the hell!?" Shadow Labrys asked, rubbing her cheek.

"You..." I heard Labrys say. She got up and walked towards her Shadow.

"No... you're supposed to be scared of me! No!" Shadow Labrys asked. "I wanted to have power! The power to crush everything that had terrorized me back then!"

"Stop it. Just stop it." Labrys said. "I'm sorry for ignoring you all this time. It's not right. I had a nice, long talk with my sister... I found out a lot of things. I don't really love Aigis the way that you thought that I did. I love her like a sister, just like how I love Minato as a brother to me, even though he's not really my brother. I know that it's hard for someone to understand me, since they really can't go through what I went through. But I know that what little they can understand about me is enough for me to feel happy about it. I know what kind of stuff that I... no, WE, have been through... You don't have to keep yourself like that." Labrys walked to her Shadow, and gave it a great big hug. It was heartwarming... It kind of reminded me of the hug that Aigis gave her Shadow when we went to face her when she took over Nyx. Her Shadow, along with the Minotaur, faded away.

"It's over..." I said, finally collapsing from all of the strain that was put through my body.

"Minato-kun!" Labrys yelled, rushing to my side along with Aigis. Adachi got up and walked towards me too.

"Geez... you really did a lot of shit, you know? You fought just about everyone here!" Labrys said. "I still wonder what happened to the younger guys of the Investigation Team..."

"Eh... who knows? I think they got out as soon as they found out that this was a family issue." I said. "Between me, you and Aigis."

Finally the others members of the Shadow Operatives arrived.

"Guys! You did it!" Yukari yelled.

"As soon as Shadow Labrys was defeated, the Shadows that were attacking us disappeared. We came here as fast as we could." Fuuka explained. "I think it's time that we went home."

"Yeah... I'm just about ready to pass out from all the fighting and running that I did." I said.

"That's right, mister! When you get home you're going to be under my strict care!" Labrys said with such finality in her voice that there was no arguing with her over it. Even Aigis couldn't do anything.

"Mine too." She mouthed at me.

"Good. First thing you can do: carry me home." I said, holding my arms out. Labrys rolled her eyes, but she had a smile on her face. She picked me up and started to carry me out of the room bridal style.

I was glad that everything was resolved with little to no trouble. Well, except for the part where I think Adachi's scarred for life. It was a Godsend for him to come at the time that he did. Without him, we would be in some major trouble. I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep and resting my head on Labrys's shoulder.


	39. The Murderer Revealed

There was something warm and soft petting my back. Well, wasn't this something to wake up to? Aigis must have been wanting something from me.

"Aigis... I'm not in the mood... only at night..." I said. If she wanted to do what I thought she wanted to do, then she would have to wait a little bit.

"Aigis? Who ya talking about?" I heard Labrys ask. "It's me, Labrys!"

"Nice try, Aigis, I know you can change your voice pretty well." I said.

"If you turn your freakin' head then you'll see it's me." Her voice said again. I decided to turn my head. I was greeted by Labrys's red eyes staring into mine.

"You've got some nice hair." She said.

"Wh-What!?" I asked. "How did you get in my bed!? Where's Aigis!?"

"She's taking a shower right now. She said that I was welcome to stay in this room from now on. Could you kinda... not lift the covers, though?" Labrys asked.

I didn't even begin to question her. I didn't want to know.

"So, are you feeling any better after yesterday?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm feelin' a lot better, brother!" Labrys hugged me. She felt... warm. Why did she feel like that?

"Labrys, is there something the matter? Normally you feel cold and metallic? Why do you feel warm and soft?" I asked.

"D-Don't put it like that and be lewd!" Labrys blushed. "I guess you didn't see it yet, huh? You've been sleeping because of all that shit yesterday. Well, my Shadow didn't give my Persona an upgrade. It gave me myself an upgrade!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Well, like I said, don't lift the covers up." Labrys warned. "Or Aigis is gonna be super pissed at you. Well, if you couldn't tell already, look at my hand!" Labrys rose her hand up to my face. It... looked like my hand. It looked like Aigis's hand. It looked like Junpei's hand.

"You're..." I began.

"Yep! My Shadow gave me the same thing that Aigis has! Plus I have no clothes!" Labrys said. I stared at her in shock. Wow... so her Shadow gave her the ability to experience what she wanted to all this time. Humanity. She had the same thing that Aigis had with her. The capability to be a human. "The look on your face tells me everything, brother!" Labrys laughed. I guess she was under the impression that we were now brother and sister now. She must have been really affected by what I said at the top of the roof yesterday.

Aigis walked into the room and took a quick look around.

"I guess you saw?" She asked.

"What's with that towel getup?" I asked. "You're just like Yukari when she comes out of the shower..."

"Hey! I for one like it!" Aigis said. She had a towel wrapped around her and a towel around her head. Well, I guess it was kind of convenient. You wouldn't drip everywhere. "Oh, you might wanna get ready to go soon. We're going to Junes to get Labrys some clothes to wear. You know she's naked right now, right? And if you so much as try to look I'm gonna hit you."

"I had no intentions." I rose my hands up in defense. Well, maybe I did want to take a little peek... but that wasn't important right now! If she was naked, then that would cause some real bad problems for me. I quickly got out of bed and got changed, grabbed my MP3, and then sat down at my desk to patiently wait for Aigis to get changed. She took some clothes out of my closet and threw them at Labrys.

"Here, wear this." Aigis smiled.

"That's my stuff." I said.

"So what? It's clothes to wear and I'm sure that they fit her." Aigis said. "Anyway, after Labrys and I are done getting changed, we're going." Aigis said.

* * *

We had led her to the girls' clothes department in Junes. Watching her walk around, looking at all the shirts and pants and shoes in awe, was kind of like watching a child going around a new place.

"So... what do you think?" Aigis asked, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me closer to her. I smiled at her and then looked over at Labrys.

"She's cute." I deadpanned. I was known for those kinds of responses.

"Not that, you dummy! I mean: what do you think about Labrys having the same ability as me now?" Aigis asked.

"She's cute." I repeated. I wasn't even looking at Aigis. Even though my heart belonged to her, I couldn't deny... Labrys was pretty hot herself.

"We're not going to get anywhere with this, are we?" Aigis asked.

"She's cute, but her beauty pales in comparison to yours, my sweet." I said, looking at her dead in the eyes. I always loved surprising her like that. The way she blushes and hides her face from me behind her hair was just so adorable. I realized that I now had two adorable girls that would do anything for me at my side. One was my supposed "sister" and the other was my girlfriend.

"Oh, Minato..." Aigis said.

"I know the right things to say at the right time." I smiled at her. She turned me around to face her while Labrys was left to her own devices.

"You know, I never got to repay you for yesterday." Aigis admitted. "I should get on that right now." She grabbed me and pulled me right into a kiss.

"Oh, are you two going to start making out right here? In public?" Labrys came right up to us. Aigis rolled her eyes. As soon as she broke the kiss, she glared at Labrys.

"Can't we just enjoy a romantic moment?" She asked.

"Not when I'm clothes shopping!" Labrys waggled her finger in front of Aigis's face, much to her annoyance.

"Don't you do that in front of my face!" Aigis yelled.

"Is it time for a cat fight?" I asked. I was waiting for a cat fight to break out sometime.

"If anything, we'd team up against you." Labrys said.

"Good idea." I said.

"You pervert!" Aigis yelled.

"I can't help it! When I've got two hotties sitting right next to me, what do you expect me to think?" I said. That fact really wasn't helping the situation.

"Let's just go home, okay?" Aigis asked. "You have your clothes, right?"

"Yeah. One for summer, one for winter, and one for spring and fall." Labrys said.

"I hope that you mean one set." I said.

"Your pants are comfy." Labrys stuck her tongue out at me.

Yosuke was the cashier for the day. As soon as he saw us, he looked shocked.

"Whoa, who're you? Can I get your number?" Yosuke asked.

"It's me, Yosuke-kun." Labrys said, handing him the clothes.

"Damn!" Yosuke said. "You're pretty hot!"

"I know, right?" I nodded. Aigis hit me in the back of the head. I threatened her with the back of her neck afterward. After a quick conversation about the case, Yosuke rang us out and we were on our way home.

* * *

Labrys was just like a little child. She was touching everything, feeling it with her new senses. She was even petting everyone's hair. Shinjiro was getting very annoyed, Yukari was "aww"ing like she was watching a newborn baby, Junpei was laughing a little bit, Mitsuru and Akihiko were saying nothing at all, and Fuuka was going along with Yukari.

Me and Aigis were just sitting down on the couch enjoying each others' company.

"So... you said that you couldn't sense Nyarlathotep anymore before we went to fight Shadow Labrys, right?" I asked, looking up at her since I was resting my head on her body.

"Let's just get off of that topic. I think we're safe for now, so let's just enjoy the time that we had. I think that this was one way that he was trying to defeat us, using Shadow Labrys. So now that he has to think of another plan, we can just rest and relax, right?" Aigis asked. "So can we just stop talking about him?"

"Okay, fine... I'm just worried." I said. I didn't want him to sneak up on us and strike while we were helpless, just like before. I think that I can kind of piece together what had happened and how we all got in the TV. There's a large TV in the Amagi Inn's center room. While we were sleeping, Nyarlathotep must have sent someone or something to throw us all in the TV. So, if we find the guy who's been throwing people in the TV, then we find Nyarlathotep. I didn't want to wait for his next move, but with a lead like that, we had no choice.

"I know, I know." Aigis said. "I'm worried too, but at least try to relax."

"Yeah. I bet Labrys wants to go all over the place now and see what it's like." I said, adjusting myself so I could get just a little bit higher. Aigis pushed my head down, knowing what I was trying to do.

"Not unless we're alone." Aigis stated.

"Fine. You're no fun." I pouted.

"So, what do we do while we wait for him to make his move?" Aigis asked hugging me like I was some sort of teddy bear.

"There's nothing that we can do while we wait for him to make his move. He's covered himself pretty well. Remember, there's no way that we can find him alone. We tried and tried and tried. And the one time that he did show up before us, he got away!" I said.

"L-Labrys! What are you doing!?" I heard Akihiko yell. I couldn't necessarily turn my head to see what was going on, but from the way that Aigis was smiling, Labrys must be doing some kind of weird stuff to Akihiko.

"Wow... your body's so hard compared to mine!" Labrys said.

"Well, of course it is!" Akihiko said. "I work out!"

"Dude, she's just like a kid..." Junpei said. He did a double take when he looked at me. "Duuude!"

"What? I'm just enjoying the fact that Aigis's body is just like a pillow..." I said, leaning back.

"Watch it, buddy, or you might be sent flying out a window soon." Aigis warned.

It was pretty cliche, but we all had a happy time, like one of those storybook endings that Aigis loves so much. I never could understand why she liked it when the heroes always won without repercussions. I'm more of a "I won, but at what cost?" kind of guy. Labrys had kept on feeling Akihiko's body and comparing it to hers, much to the dismay of both Akihiko and Mitsuru. I continued to make advances towards Aigis, but I was shot down immediately. Oh well, at least I have some ground rules now. Daytime is kissing and hugging, nighttime is when the fun begins. I went to sleep, once again surrounded by two beautiful ladies.

* * *

"They say it's going to be pretty foggy today." Aigis said, waking me up. Labrys and Aigis were already wide awake and dressed, leaving me the only one who had to get ready for the day. "And it's going to be like that for a while."

We had waited, and waited, and waited for Nyarlathotep to take action, but he didn't do a damned thing. So we had sat in boredom for two months. It was finally December now, and just now things seemed like they were getting a little bit eerie. I mean, it's going to be foggy for a while? That's kinda eerie.

"Really?" I asked, looking out the window. Sure enough, there was fog covering the streets of Inaba. I saw people wade through the shopping district, going on with their daily duties, walking through the fog. I wondered what was so important that they had to walk through such dense fog... "Well, damn."

"We're going to go to Junes. Aigis promised that she would take me there, didn't you, sister?" Labrys asked.

"Yes, I did promise I'd take you to Junes..." Aigis rolled her eyes again. "This time, you can't come with us, Mina-chan."

"Why no- oh. I think I get it." I said. They were going to go shopping for some girl things. No guys allowed.

"Yeah." Aigis nodded. "Why don't you hang out with the guys?"

"Sure thing." I said. I got dressed, quickly throwing something on, and went downstairs. The two robot girls walked outside and left for Junes. Junpei was sitting down with Yukari, Akihiko was talking to Mitsuru, and Shinjiro was giving Fuuka cooking lessons. So that left me with Naoto. Adachi was out for work, doing his job of patrolling around and gathering information for us.

I sat down beside her and gave her a nice smile. She was on the couch, reading a newspaper that had recently been delivered. I knew that she was a private detective and all, but why was she always so uptight about it?

"Yes, Minato-san, what is it?" She asked, not even bothering to look away from the newspaper. She had a certain finality in her voice, the same that Mitsuru had, when she spoke. I guess she's just like Mitsuru. Cold.

"Well, if you're going to talk like that, then never mind." I sighed, scooting away. Sometimes I thought that the world was out to get me... I put in my headphones and started listening to music.

"Did you hear that the people in town are acting rather strangely lately?" Naoto asked, finally looking away from her newspaper. I turned off my MP3 and put my headphones away. Finally, someone to talk to!

"Really? I thought it was kind of weird how they were walking through this fog so early in the morning." I said.

"I tried to converse with a woman this morning, only to find that her 'response' was moaning and groaning, like a zombie." Naoto said. "I'm worried about what that might foreshadow."

"If they're moaning and groaning, then that's like Apathy Syndrome. Do you think that the fog is doing it?" I asked. "That's some real creepy stuff, you know..."

"I don't know, but maybe it's linked to this Nyarlathotep character." Naoto said. "That's what I think, anyway."

"I think you might be right." I said. "For right now let's just wait and see what happens to us. If it's something bad, then yeah, we're going to go and find him. If it's really nothing, then I guess he gave up."

"I don't think someone like Nyarlathotep, from all of the things that I heard about him, would give up so easily. Now, if you don't mind, I must depart for school." Naoto said. She got up and walked outside.

"I must depart for school." I echoed, the way that a child would when making fun of someone. Aigis and Labrys got back pretty fast, actually running in the door and then running upstairs. Mitsuru was about to yell at them for causing such a disturbance to the peace, but she decided not to, returning to the conversation that she was having with Akihiko. I wondered what they were talking about...? Maybe Akihiko's trying to finally hit it off with Mitsuru? I mean, seriously, you can just feel the blatant sexual tension off of those two. It's similar to when I first met Aigis. I had definitely felt that tension. I wonder if they can feel theirs?

Aigis came downstairs and jumped onto the couch next to me.

"Hey Minato!" She smiled.

"You're pretty energetic today." I said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing really. Someone's gotta be happy in all this doom and gloom, right? So why not me?" Aigis said.

"Did you hear about what Naoto was talking about? She thinks that people are getting Apathy Syndrome from this fog!" I said, looking out of the window. The people outside were moving so sluggishly... like they had lost all meaning in their lives. That was what Apathy Syndrome was like, wasn't it?

There had to be a connection. Wait a second... the only other person who knows about Apathy Syndrome besides us is...

"Aigis...?" I turned to her.

"You're... thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you...?" Aigis asked.

"Guys!" I said. "Try to turn on the TV!" Shinjiro grabbed the remote and hit the power button. The TV didn't turn on, but it did display something that didn't look too swell. It looked like the entire town of Inaba was devastated by, like... a nuke or something. Was this the Midnight Channel? But how? Naoto just left for school! I had the sudden impulse to put my glasses on. When I did, I could see through the fog easily. The shopping district looked exactly like it did when me and the others ventured in to defeat Shadow Yosuke in the TV, but that was a few months back!

"Put your glasses on. You know, the ones that Ted gave us?" I ordered. Everyone did, and the collective gasps around the room let me know that they were seeing what I was seeing.

"I think we should head into the TV now." Labrys said, coming downstairs. "Something must be going on."

* * *

No one was in Junes. There wasn't a single person shopping. Just what was going on? We waded through the isles and found the TV easily. Something was definitely wrong. The TV was leaking out some kind of red fluid. It wasn't blood, no... it was like the thing in the background of the TV world. The portals in there. The sky. It was most likely the TV world's Shadow.

"If we go in, we won't be able to go out until this is over." Mitsuru said. "Are you all ready for this?"

"Yeah. I think we are." I said. "Let's go in."

I reached into the TV, and pulled everyone inside with me.

When we landed on the TV world, I immediately sensed that something was not normal about this.

"I'm surprised that you found out so fast." I froze.

"Is that...?" Aigis began.

"Ah, you've even brought my lovely daughter with you, too! I suppose that all of you brats are here. You see, you're not finding out anything. You fell right into my hands. Come and get me, if you're absolutely sure that you can take me on."

"No way..." Labrys fell to her knees.

"I thought he died!" Akihiko said.

"No, he only got away!" I yelled. "It's him! He's the one behind all of the murders and everything else! It's Ikutsuki!"


	40. The Universe

Everyone was in a state of shock. I couldn't blame them. After all, we all thought that Ikutsuki had died. I didn't want to tell them that I did see him run away from everything, but it was also something that I didn't believe myself, so I tricked myself into thinking that he was dead.

"You said that this would be our last battle, right?" Aigis asked. I turned to her. She had a guilty expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"If this really is our last battle and we might not make it out of here... then there's something that I have to tell you all before we go any further. Something that I've been keeping to myself ever since I first came to Iwatodai." Aigis said.

"Sure, go ahead." Akihiko encouraged. "We're listening."

"Okay, good. Because this is going to be a lot to take in." Aigis said. "I'm surprised that my Shadow said nothing about this before, when we fought her, but... I'm from... I guess you could say, another time."

"What!?" I yelled.

"I knew that at least one of you would have that reaction." Aigis said. She was speaking so solemnly... I felt sorry for her. "It's true. I was sent back in time by Nyarlathotep's eternal rival, Philemon. He sent me back for one reason and one reason alone. I wanted to save you." She looked right into my eyes. "In the time that I came from, you didn't survive the fight with Nyx. You gave your life to seal her away and become the Great Seal, something that would stop a sick monster that was born from sheer hatred alone from commencing the Fall. Life had went on for me. Mitsuru had formed the Shadow Operatives, and we had gone into the TV to find Labrys, who was kidnapped by Nyarlathotep himself. He tried to use her for some kind of special reason. I never found out."

"What do you mean that you never found out?" Akihiko asked.

"I'm glad that you're all following me this well... I never found out because I had died shortly after we rescued Labrys. A freak accident occurred. Minato had somehow been revived, I believe by that elevator attendant in the Velvet Room, a girl named Elizabeth. She freed him from his shackles, taking his place as the Great Seal. As soon as he was revived, he found us. His Shadow appeared out of nowhere. You couldn't accept what it had to say... and it took the form of a horrible demon. I eventually had to remake the Great Seal using my powers as the Wild Card. It was just too powerful... Through all of the bonds that I made, I had obtained the powers of the World Arcana, which allowed me to seal your Shadow away. But... in order to do that..."

"You had to give up your life." Shinjiro finished. This was all so hard to take in... I was staring at her like she was crazy. My Shadow was the cause of her death in her own time? Who's Philemon? What's all of this mean? Why is she telling us this now? I had so many questions that needed to be answered... but there was little time.

"Yes. One month later... I started feeling incredibly weak. Minato and everyone else had gotten so worried about me, they put me in a bed and kept watch over me day in and day out. Eventually... when I finally found the power to stand, I met Minato outside. I collapsed. I was beyond repair at that time. I had effectively been terminated. It was ironic, too. It happened during Spring, when Minato himself died. I died in his arms just as he died in mine." Aigis explained. "But... Philemon sent me back into the past. There was one wrong that I wanted to make right, and that was Minato's emotions. They had been out of control in my time. He would often go on tirades and yell at everyone just because he was having a really bad day. He had... picked on me. Tortured me. I wanted to make him happy with his life... so Philemon sent me back in time, with all of the abilities that I had in my time at my disposal, and all of my memories. He even gave me a gift. Something that I could use to blend in with my surroundings. He gave me the ability to become a human... That's what you see when I'm not fighting."

I was in so much shock... I felt like I was going to collapse. There was no way that this could be true. I couldn't... wouldn't hate Aigis!

"And so here we stand." Aigis said. "That's the end of my story. A story that should have ended a long time ago."

"Are you saying that you're regretting doing this?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah! Without you, I don't think we'd even be alive! And I could never imagine a world without Minato!" Junpei said.

"It's a good thing that you did this, Aigis." Fuuka said. "Don't regret it."

"You're saying..." Everyone turned to me. I looked straight into Aigis's eyes. "That you would defy time itself... knowing the full reaches of the Butterfly Effect... just for me?"

"Do you... hate me now?" Aigis asked.

"No. I would never hate you. Ever. The fact that you would do that just for someone like me... it really warms my heart. You care about me that much..." I said.

"Minato..." Aigis smiled at me.

"I guess now that it's confession time, we should all say what's on our minds." Akihiko said. "I'll start. Mitsuru. I really don't know how to say these kinds of things... and I know that I'm no sweet talker, either, but I wanted to let you know that I always admired you, and I'd love to go out with you some time."

"I think I'll take a line out of your book..." Mitsuru said. "I've been waiting for this. I wanted you to make the first move for me all along... I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going out with someone who was so shy they couldn't ask me out on a date."

"Yukari... Yuka-tan... Uh... I don't know how to put this, but... what do you even see in me?" Junpei asked.

"What do I see in you? Well... you've changed. You changed a lot from two years ago. Back then, you were just that perv who lived at the dorm with us. After Nyx... you started to mature. You matured a lot, and became a great guy. And not to mention, you got really cute, too." Yukari smiled. "That's what I see in you. I want to be there with you to see you grow up even more!"

"Aigis... I was saving this for when we were done with this whole thing, but if you say that we might not make it out, then I guess now is a good as time as ever to tell you this." I grew serious. My knees grew weak and my palms got sweaty. "I really, really like you."

"I really, really like you too." Aigis said.

"Uh..." I scratched the back of my head. Damn it! Was all of that mirror talking and fake pep speeches for nothing? I thought that I could actually do this, but I guess not. Oh God, I don't even have a ring! What kind of-

"Are you okay?" Aigis broke me out of my thoughts.

"Y-Yeah! Lovely weather, right?" I asked. What the fuck does that mean!?

"Um... I guess?" Aigis shrugged.

"Well, like I was saying, I really like you. A lot. I like you. A bunch. There's nothing that I like more than you." I said.

By this point everyone had turned to me and Aigis and were staring at me.

"Minato's dorky moments are so adorable..." I heard Yukari say. This was not good.

This was my only opportunity to do this right, if I didn't then there would be no going back. I had to get this right the first time, no matter how much I'm embarrassing myself. I'm... only trying to find the right words, that's all!

Thankfully, Aigis has the patience of a saint.

"Uh... Alright... so... here's the thing..." I started scratching my head.

"Minato, please... we have a job to do!" Aigis said.

"AlrightIforgottheringathomebutIwantyoutomarrymereallyreallyreallybadlysopleasesayyes!" I let it all out in one quick fell swoop. I heard her processors decipher the gibberish that I just spat out.

"M...Minato..." Aigis said. She looked startled.

"Is that a no?" I asked. I was ready for anything.

"No! It's a yes!" Aigis said, jumping onto me and hugging me tightly. I really, really couldn't breathe, but the myriad of little pecks on my cheek and her cuddling with me was easing the pain.

"What did he just do?" Junpei asked. "I wish you would do that to me."

"Shut up, Junpei." Yukari groaned. "I'd be acting that way too if a certain someone asked me THE QUESTION."

"Wait, what do you mean, "THE QUESTION"?" Junpei asked.

"Obviously what you think it means." Mitsuru said. "I'm sure that now Aigis is determined to bring and end to this case along with us and kill Ikutsuki once and for all."

"Can someone just tell me what just happened here!?" Junpei asked.

"Why did you finally decide to say it now? Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear those words, Minato Arisato!? You can't keep a girl waiting like that! It's rude!" Aigis yelled.

"I'm finally old enough for it, so I decided that I can do it now! And plus, I wanted a special moment! When you said that you traveled across an entire timeline for me was the perfect moment! And plus, we were making confessions!" I said.

"But now of all times!? You're going to get a beating when you get home!" Aigis shouted. "You better make it out of this alive, mister! And you better wear your best suit! And you better not keep me waiting longer than two minutes! I want you down the aisle with your best man in five seconds, do you hear me!?" She started listing off everything that she wanted. This was a completely different side of Aigis. Not even something that I could see her Shadow doing.

"Did she just mention an aisle and a suit?" Junpei asked. His faced suddenly was filled with enlightenment. "DUUUUUUUUDE!"

"I'm happy for them, you know?" Labrys asked. "They really do love each other, don't they?"

"Yeah. I mean, if you're going to cross the time and space border for someone then you gotta love them a lot." Junpei said.

"I... I found him." I heard Fuuka announce. "Follow me. I'll take you to where Ikutsuki is."

* * *

The place that we were in looked exactly like the town had in the Midnight Channel. It was an elevated platform in absolute ruins. You couldn't make out that this was a town at all. The sky was that same, ominous red color that it always is in the Midnight Channel.

Ikutsuki was here, I could tell. Street lamps made a small bridge that connected one slab of rock to another. It was tricky to maneuver, but I got the hang of using them to cross over onto other platforms pretty easily. Aigis and Labrys had it easy because they could just jump across. Aigis could even use her jet boosters if she wanted to.

Aigis had a determined look on her face. Even more determined than what I saw when she had defeated my Shadow. I finally knew the reason behind that face now. I couldn't blame her. Aigis occasionally would look over to me and smile warmly at me. I would always return the favor. That determined look in her eyes told me that she wanted this to end as fast as possible.

Shinjiro looked determined, too. He had formed a small bond with Ken, I guess. He was going to get revenge for what Ikutsuki did to him, even though he wasn't directly involved with his death. It was Takaya who shot him, and I could never forget to satisfied look on his face when he heard Takaya's screaming from the floor below us while we were fighting Nyx.

This really was it. If we defeated Ikutsuki, our first goal, solving the murder case, would be completed. All we would have to do then is find Nyarlathotep, but he's been like a ghost lately. I guess he gave up, and is probably getting ready for another plan to use against us. I hoped that he at least gave us some time to rest before he went and did anything stupid like that.

I could say that Aigis's mission was accomplished. She had definitely made everything in my life right again. I could actually appreciate the company of my friends. I found someone that loved me a lot, something that I must never have found in the original time that Aigis came from. No, I'm going to stop referring to her as the "Aigis of that time" because she's the Aigis of this time, too!

"You're persistent to follow me all the way here, you know." Ikutsuki's voice rang throughout the area. "You brats just don't know when to quit, you know? What good is there in finding and defeating me when the real enemy is away doing whatever he wants right now? Am I really that important to you? I'm honored."

I ignored him and continued trekking my way through this place. The others were following closely behind me. For this battle, we weren't the Shadow Operatives, we were SEES again, for this short time. It was time to get payback for what he did to us two years ago. It's time for payback for him using _my_ Aigis against us.

"Even though you're moving towards me doesn't mean that you're going to find me that easily." Ikutsuki said. "For instance... that door that you see? It can't be opened. You'll have to find a way to open it! But can you really find the way?"

"Damn you, Ikutsuki!" Akihiko yelled.

"That's exactly the response that I was expecting out of you, Akihiko-kun..." Ikutsuki laughed.

He was right. The door was sealed shut. We couldn't move on, and if what he was saying was true, then he was right behind that door. He's really pissing me off...

"I think we should look for any abnormalities around here." Mitsuru said.

"I noticed something that looked like a big, gaping hole earlier, but I didn't want to fall in." Yukari said.

"Let's go back there and check it out." Shinjiro said.

We all found that hole easily, thanks to Aigis and Labrys both mapping this place out in their heads using their systems.

Yeah, Yukari was right, it did look a little bit weird. I peered over the hole and saw a platform below.

"There's a platform below. Aigis, Labrys, do you think that you can help us down there?" I asked. Aigis immediately grabbed me, and then started to split up the rest of the team along with Labrys. The two robots jumped down the hole, saving us from going splat.

"How annoyingly persistent of you. You're still trying to find me? Don't you have anything better to do with your lives? Don't you have college to go to? Don't you have anything to do other than follow me? Even if you defeat me, it's still useless." Ikutsuki questioned.

"Just ignore him. He's just spouting bullshit." Shinjiro said.

And so we were on a new path, heading towards something that would hopefully release the seal that the door that would lead to Ikutsuki had on it.

"Hey Aigis, you never explained to me how that human to robot stuff worked." I said.

"Oh, I didn't? It's kinda simple, really. Whenever I sense danger or something like that, it's automatic. I switch to this. And whenever that danger's gone, then I go back to human." Aigis said. "I guess the same applies to Labrys too."

"So it's not voluntary?" I asked. "Well, I can kinda get the idea. I think something's up ahead." There was a glowing object ahead. I approached it carefully, hoping to not set off any traps. It was pulsating purple.

"I think this is it." I said. I rose my blade and stabbed it with my sword. I heard something move above us. That must be the door unsealing itself.

"Alright! We need to run up there and go and confront Ikutsuki!" Junpei cheered.

* * *

We traced our steps all the way to the door and opened it. Inside was a portal. I could tell that this is what would lead us to Ikutsuki. I jumped in followed by everyone else, and found myself on a cliff.

It was the hill that was overlooking the town, but in Ikutsuki's own special way. He was standing, looking down at the destroyed town, with his back to us.

"I see that you were persistent enough to come up here and find me. I'm glad that you did, actually. That makes this all the more easier." Ikutsuki said, turning around. He had a red glare in his eye, like it was a camera or something. He stepped towards us before turning back to the town.

"Look. This is what Inaba and the rest of the world will look like when I'm done with it." Ikutsuki said. "I can finally realize my dream of commencing the Fall and descending upon this world as a Messiah. You're going to get in the way of that dream, and so you all must die here. Yes, even you, Aigis, who I care for very, very much."

"That's a load of bullshit!" Aigis yelled. "You never cared about me or anyone else! All you wanted was to bring the Fall to the world!"

"That's not true, my little princess... I wanted to do this... I'm doing this for you. So that you can have a world where no one would look down on you. I cherish you as a daughter, Aigis... but you betrayed me. You're like all the other bitches and whores in the world. Always stabbing you in the back whenever they see the most opportune time. You all make me sick to my stomach. This world is going to be enshrouded in fog. That fog is going to turn everyone into Shadows. It's just like the Fall, see? Only you don't have to use Nyx to do it. This TV world... it's a magnificent world, isn't it? You can imagine anything, and it's there! I imagined this world for myself to see what the world that I created would look like. Don't you see it's beauty?"

"I can't find beauty in something that's destroyed." Akihiko said. "Like your mentality."

"Oh, I am very sure that I am sane, Akihiko-kun. You all... SEES... you are the insane ones. You are the ones that are standing against the will of mankind... you're standing against peace and prosperity in the world. Wouldn't it be awesome if you could live the entire day with no one to bother you or ridicule you? I'm tired of being the bottom of the barrel. In this world, I am King." Ikutsuki said.

"What are you going on about?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'm saying that this world is filled with scum like you. Scum that fight for "justice" when they don't even know what it is that they're fighting for! I'm going to make a world where anything goes. Where there is no such thing as justice and evil. They're two very flimsy words... with little to no meaning. People throw them out every day about how they want criminals to be brought to justice and how the person who just stole from the store is evil. But... to that man who stole from the store... could you not say that he was doing justice? Justice for his family that's poor, living on the streets? Justice to all the homeless people that litter the streets, begging for money? Could you not say that he is not in fact evil, but righteous?"

"Just what are you rambling about? None of that makes any sense!" Junpei yelled.

"I knew that you wouldn't see what I was talking about. There's no sense in conversing with children. What I'm saying is... I'm going to make a world using Nyarlathotep's power to create a Utopia where might makes right. The strong prey on the weak. If the weak want to stop being preyed upon, they become the strong. It's going to be an everlasting cycle of destruction. The most beautiful thing in the world, after all, is destruction and chaos. At the rate that humanity is going right now, there is no hope for it. Turn on the news. What do you see? Stories that do not talk about the things that matter. Rather than news about the world, it's news about the newest movie, or the newest police chase, or the newest arrest. It's only catering to people that don't care. People run the streets, killing others just for fun, for no reason. The world is filled with scum. They have no chance for redemption. But... however... there are people like me. People that see the lies that are spun forth through the media. They can find salvation in life if they join with me and remake the world in their own image. The ones that walk outside... they are not needed in this world. You too have a chance at redemption. You can find salvation in me. I can save you from the hell that you're going through right now. Just come with me, and I'll make everything better." Ikutsuki reached out to us, with a warm smile on his face.

"You're right about one thing." I spoke up. Ikutsuki smiled in satisfaction. "There are people who run around committing crimes for no reason at all, just because they feel like it. There's always going to be that in society. If you keep on looking at the negatives, then sure, you're going to think like the entire world is a shit pile. But Ikutsuki... if this world is shit, then you're just a maggot in the pile."

"What did you say you little piece of shit!?" Ikutsuki yelled.

"I said that this world doesn't have all downs to it. There's plenty of ups to fight the downs on this Earth. Ikutsuki, I have one question. What do you think of other people?" I asked.

"Other people...? Just what are you getting at you little uptight prick? I think that they're useless if they don't benefit me at all."

"Then you must have had no friends. From the way that you're speaking, you had a rough childhood. You didn't have any friends in school, am I right?" I asked.

"Shut up!" Ikutsuki yelled.

"That's why you think that this world is shit. You haven't even found any of the ups in this world yet. Ikutsuki, you've never even gone out of your way to help someone, have you? That's the worst. You're just like the people that you were ranting about before. You're worse than dirt. You're scum."

"You little brat... you think that you can say that just because you're with your friends!?" Ikutsuki asked.

"That's right. I can say that because I'm with my friends. My friends are what give me power. With my friends, I believe that I can do anything. The bonds that we make in this life help us to see the different things around us in a different way. If you just keep on yelling and acting like an immature brat, then no one is going to like you. I found that out the hard way. My first ever friend was Aigis. At first I was scared of her because I thought that she wouldn't like me because of the way that I acted when I was young. But I took a chance and befriended her. She's a very nice person, and she's been the cause of all of the ups in my life. She's helped me find the way through my life without hating everything. That's how I have this big group of people with me today. Everyone is here because they trust me with their lives. The same way that I trust them with mine. My bonds give me the power to stand up to people like you, Ikutsuki! You're not going to threaten this world anymore! Today, your life ends here!" I drew my sword.

"Hahahahaha... hahaha... haha!" Ikutsuki started laughing. He stumbled backwards because he was laughing so hard. He reached into his coat pocket and grabbed a gun.

He rose it to his head and pressed it against his temple rather harshly. No... that wasn't a gun!

"Come, Persona!" Ikutsuki yelled. How could he have a Persona when he didn't have the potential for one? What even was his Persona anyway!?

I knew exactly what it was when it came out. It was all black, with multiple faces on it. It looked vile and disgusting.

This was the incomplete form of Nyarlathotep.

"Is that...!?" Aigis asked.

"It is! It's Nyarlathotep!" Shinjiro yelled.

"So this is our last battle... we're going to kill two birds with one stone with this one, guys!" Junpei said.

"We can't lose here." Akihiko said.

"I will defeat you, Ikutsuki!" Mitsuru yelled.

"You won't prevent us from experiencing our future!" Yukari exclaimed.

"What you're sayin ain't right." Labrys said. "And I'm gonna prove it to ya!"

"I... I can feel it without a Persona... this is truly a horrible Persona... Nyarlathotep..." Fuuka said.

"Ikutsuki... I'm gonna say this once. What you're spouting isn't logic. It's an immature tantrum from an egotistical brat!" I said.

"...If that is what you think... then come! This world _is_ going to change! And you will not exist in it! All this time I thought that I could leave you be... but you've been a thorn in my side from the beginning! It's time to get rid of you once and for all!" Ikutsuki yelled.

This was it. This was the last battle. The battle that would determine our future and our lives. If we failed here, then the world as we know it was going to be destroyed. We have to stop those two, at any cost.

"Persona!" Our collective voices yelled. Every single one of our Personas appeared, ready to fight.

"You fools!" I heard a voice that was entirely different than Ikutsuki's. "Understand that if you win, you'll never escape the fate that mankind has set for itself! It needs to be reset, so we can set it all on the right track!"

"You're... Nyarlathotep!" I said.

"Yes, that's right. I am." Nyarlathotep said. "But now is not the time for talking... now is the time for fighting! Show me the power that you have fostered within yourselves! Prove to me and to Ikutsuki that you have what it takes to reshape this world and set humanity on the right path again!"

And that was just what we were going to do. Ikutsuki pulled out a real gun this time and aimed it at me. Athena jumped in front of me and blocked the shot that he fired with her shield.

"Nice save!" I said. Messiah flicked his wrist and sent a gust of wind Ikutsuki's way. I planned to throw him off the cliff that we were standing on. He took it all with a grain of salt, though. A blast of fire erupted in his face courtesy of Junpei. Trismegistus also flew up to him and started to slice him with the blades that were attached to his wings.

"Dude... I think something's seriously wrong here." Junpei said. "It doesn't look like anything's effecting him." When the smoke of the eruption cleared, Ikutsuki was standing there with a wide grin on his face. I hated that grin of his...

Artemesia grabbed him with her whip and pulled him towards her. When he was close enough, she made a giant pillar of spiked ice shoot up and pierce him. Caesar knocked him out of the ice and far away from us with his sword. Ikutsuki still got up, even after that attack. That was meant to go straight through his heart. How could he stand up after that!?

"Why...?" Mitsuru asked. She couldn't believe what just happened.

"Hahahaha... you thought that it was going to be easy, didn't you? That you thought I was a human, didn't you?" Ikutsuki asked. I noticed something about him, then, in that moment. His eyes were glaring red. Sometimes... a Shadow's eyes were red.

"No way." Aigis said.

"He's a Shadow!?" Akihiko looked dumbfounded.

"Yes, that's right!" Ikutsuki smiled. "I turned myself into a Shadow with the help of Nyarlathotep! My humanity is the price to pay for what I'm doing..."

"You monster!" Labrys pointed at him. Ariadne made a bull's head with her strings, and encased Labrys in it. She charged at Ikutsuki and then rose her axe upwards, jumping up to him and slashing him with the axe at the same time. Ikutsuki seemed to be impervious to anything that we did against him. This battle would take a long time, that was for sure. He was like Nyx two years ago... almost impervious.

Almost.

A giant wave of darkness appeared and started moving towards us. There was no way out of it, so I had to take the hit. As it passed, I felt incredible pain throughout my body. Ikutsuki was laughing as he saw the others fall to the floor.

"What do you think you're going to do now, Minato! Everyone else around you is gone! You said that your friends are the source of your power, and I just knocked them unconscious!" It was true. I looked around and found everyone on the floor face down. That attack that he used was something else to knock everyone down. I couldn't believe that I had survived the attack, either.

"So you just want it to be me and you, right?" I asked. I was ready for anything that he would do to me. I was ready for it.

"Let's go..." Ikutsuki said. He put away his gun. A ring of fire appeared around me and closed in, trapping me. I had to ignore the pain and get through this if I wanted to survive. If I wanted a future, I would have to be strong. Ice pillars started rising up, coming towards me. I ran out of the way of them and sent a blast of fire his way. Ikutsuki was signed, part of his jacket burning off. He growled in anger. Using a heavy gust of wind, he blew the ice pillars faster, sending them towards me at a quicker pace. Messiah slashed Ikutsuki into the air and released the icicles from the coffins, piercing him. Coming down, Ikutsuki kicked me right in the face. I grabbed his foot and started swinging him around, throwing him off into the wall. Messiah came in seconds later, punching him further into it. He started throwing punches faster and faster and faster, letting out some kind of war cry while he was doing so.

Ikutsuki used Nyarlathotep to knock Messiah away, into me. The weight of my Persona sent me to the floor, and while I was down, Ikutsuki jumped up in the air. He put his elbow out, planning to hit me right in the head. I rolled away just in time for him to miss horribly and injure his arm in the process.

"You bastard!" He yelled. From the way that he was acting, he was losing his mind, slowly but surely. His sanity was withering down. "You're going to pay for what you've done! You'll pay for putting a blemish on the Messiah!" Ikutsuki yelled. A gigantic lighting bolt shot from the sky. I felt my body go limp as it came into contact with me. I closed my eyes and fell to the floor.

"And that's what you get..." Ikutsuki laughed. I felt my consciousness wither away.

* * *

I opened my eyes to see the familiar interior of an elevator. Igor was sitting in front of me with Elizabeth and Margaret sitting on either side of him. There was a glowing sphere at the table.

"Do not fear." Igor said. "You are not dead. No, not yet. Do you remember what I once told you? How the strength of your bonds would determine your potential? Listen... can you hear their voices?" Igor put a hand up to his ear. I started hearing everyone's voice.

"Don't go, bro! Everything changed when I met you. I'm glad that we met. I don't think I would have made it this far without you." Junpei's voice said.

"No, Minato! Don't leave everyone! I'm such a waste... I can't stand up to fight with you... but you can do one thing for me... You can't lose. You're one of the only ones who understood me. I'm grateful to you for that." Yukari said.

"Hey, can you hear me, Minato? Don't close your eyes yet. I will give you our strength. Stand up and fight." Mitsuru said.

"Yo, Minato. How much longer are you going to lie there? I know that you can stand up and keep on fighting. After all, you survived a match with me." Akihiko said.

"Minato-kun, thank you for everything that you've done for us. You gave us all the strength that we needed to fight the Shadows. So don't fall here. You can't die here now. You have to get back up and fight for everyone's sake... and yours too." Fuuka said.

"Minato! If you stay down there, I'm not going to forgive you. What kind of person would fall now, at this time? You need to keep standing up and fight till the end. You're not the person to just give up after one mistake." Shinjiro said.

"Minato... you're the one who gave me my life. You helped me through everything, ya know? That's why you can't die here. I ain't gonna let you die here. You still gotta fulfill that promise that you made to my sister all those years ago." Labrys said.

"Hey... Minato... if you let Ikutsuki defeat you here... I won't forgive you. You have to keep on fighting. Everyone's entrusting you with their lives for this battle... and if you let us, if you let me, down... then I don't know what to say. You have to keep fighting on, Minato-kun. You can defeat Ikutsuki. I know that you can. I love you, Minato. Don't ever forget that." Aigis said.

"Can you hear them?" Igor asked. "These are the voices of hope that wish to help you make the future that you so desire. Separately, they are weak. But together, they will bring a great change in you. Now... it is time to draw in the true strength of the bonds that you have formed!" From the massive light that was in front of us, came floating down a card. Igor had a shocked expression on his face.

"I've never dreamed of seeing this card with my own eyes... This is indeed splendid! Behold, the last power that you and I have unveiled! It is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end. What you have in your hands now... is the power of the Universe. Nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you now." Igor said. A blue butterfly landed on my shoulders as I took the card in my hands. I felt something inside of me change. Messiah appeared and floated over the table. He was reacting to the card of the Universe Arcana! Messiah started to change...

He had reverted back to Orpheus. But he wasn't quite the same. His torso was red instead of grey, and his arms and legs were golden as well as his hair. Behind him was a golden harp.

"I am thou, and thou art I. From the sea of thy soul I come. I am Orpheus Telos, Master of Strings." He said, before returning inside of me.

"We will reach our destination soon. I hope that you enjoyed your trip." Elizabeth said.

"You have fulfilled your contract. It seems that my job here is done. You were truly... a remarkable guest." Igor's words flowed through my mind as my sight was covered in white.

* * *

I stood up. I was still at the cliff that Ikutsuki was standing at. He was laughing to himself as he stared down at the town.

"I don't believe it." Ikutsuki said, ceasing his laughter and turning to me. "You have the power to stand up."

"You are no ordinary person." Nyarlathotep added. "You... I sense the Universe in you. But it matters not. I will end it here." A purple wave of darkness flowed out of Nyarlathotep, who had appeared behind Ikutsuki. I stared forward, glaring at Ikutsuki, looking straight into his eyes. The wave of darkness had no effect on me. Nyarlathotep sent multiple waves of darkness towards me again, hoping that it would effect me. I kept on looking forward.

"Are you done?" I asked. "Your darkness... pales in comparison to my light!"

"Are we really going to start with a righteous speech? I believe you gave one earlier on." Nyarlathotep said. I looked behind me. Everyone was starting to get up.

"Why... why aren't you all dead yet!?" Ikutsuki clutched his head with both hands.

"I have already told you, Ikutsuki. Our bonds that hold us to tightly together are giving us strength. As long as one of us can get up, all of the others can too." I summoned Orpheus Telos. It was time to end this.

"Now... you who have damned yourself to darkness... it's time for the grand finale!" I yelled. Ikutsuki looked into the sky and gasped. All this time, Orpheus was forming a Morning Star. The most powerful one that I have used yet. It shot into the ground, exploding on contact. I didn't need to worry about it hurting the others. They wouldn't be hurt by it.

"Nooo!" Ikutsuki screamed. He disintegrated before my very eyes.

"You... you have killed me..." Nyarlathotep said. "But... this isn't the end. Not by a long shot. I will be back for you all, one day... when I regain all of my strength. What will you do then, I wonder? Remember... as long as mankind has hate, I will be there." He faded away, too. I turned to the others.

"It's time to go home." I said.

"Minato!" Junpei jumped on top of me and gave me a big hug. Everyone else joined in. "You did it!"

"I don't believe it! That was amazing! How did you do that!?" Labrys asked.

"Let's just say... You all helped. A lot." I said. "Without you... he would have taken over the world and reshaped it in his image..."

"Aw... we did nothing! It was all you!" Akihiko said.

"We need to go home." Shinjiro said. "I have a feeling that him and Nyarlathotep were the ones who were behind the Midnight Channel. Without them holding it together, it'll just fall apart."

"Good idea, Shinji." Akihiko nodded. "It's time to go home."

"Mission... complete." Mitsuru smiled to herself.

* * *

When we got outside of the TV, the fog was all gone. It was a beautiful, sunny day outside. It was nice to know that I was the main cause of it, too. Well, me and everyone else. Aigis grabbed onto my arm and rested her head on my shoulder as we all walked back to our house.

"You know... this isn't the first time that I've felt this way." Junpei said.

"Like what?" Yukari asked.

"Like a hero!" Junpei grinned.

"I'm sure that all of us feel the same way." Mitsuru said.

"This had to be one of our biggest missions yet! And we haven't gone on too many." Akihiko said.

"I'm sure that it's all going to be easy compared to this." Shinjiro nodded.

"The power of friendship saves the day, huh? How cliche..." I said. "But it's a good feeling, too."

"So what are you all going to do now?" Yukari asked.

"Well, first Minato's fulfilling that promise of his that he made to me." Aigis said. "And he better do it right, too!"

"Calm down, Aigis!" I said. "You're going to keep on yelling at me about it until we actually do get married, won't you?"

"Of course she is!" Junpei said.

"Are you saying something, Junpei?" Aigis asked.

"Sheesh! You need to lighten up, girl!" Junpei smiled at her. "So, dude... me, Akihiko and Shinjiro should totally fight it out for best man! TO THE DEATH!"

"You'd get absolutely crushed. I'm a pro boxer, Junpei." Akihiko said.

"Oh yeah... that's right..." Junpei groaned. That wasn't the only thing that groaned! My stomach was starting to growl like you wouldn't believe!

"Looks like someone's hungry! This is my chance to show you all of what Shinjiro-sensei taught me!" Fuuka said.

"Don't... refer to me like that." Shinjiro said.

I felt my life flash before my very eyes. If Fuuka was cooking... then that meant terror.

* * *

We all made it inside with little to no troubles. As soon as we got inside, everyone went to their own devices. I was sitting down with Aigis on the couch. She never did take her head off my shoulder.

"I don't believe it..." Aigis said. "We finally defeated Nyarlathotep! It still kind of worries me about what he said though... As long as mankind has hate, he will be there..."

"Well then, we're going to eliminate that hate once and for all!" I said. "I know that we can't convince every person to stop hating things, but we can at least make it count with us, right?"

"Yeah. Definitely." Aigis said. "I know that I'm the happiest girl in the world..."

"And I'm the happiest boy in the world. Looks like your time travel mission's complete, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yep! And I'm glad with the results!" Aigis smiled. I looked out the window and into the cloudless sky. The sun was shining the brightest that it had ever been. Brighter even, than when we defeated Nyx.

Mother, father... I hope that you're watching me up there. I'm gonna make you two proud, that's for sure. I'll hold up the Arisato name.

"Hey, Aigis, can you tell me about what it was like in your time?" I asked. I had no response. Aigis's eyes were closed. She was snoring.

"Aww... now isn't that adorable..." I said. "Labrys, take a picture!"

We all celebrated that night. We celebrated the new birth of the new world. The world that we all carved out for ourselves. The one that we fought for so much... it was finally ours. And nothing would ever separate us from it.


End file.
